Theaster Gates channels ceramics and music in Seoul

Theaster Gates’ new exhibition at White Cube Seoul merges the tactile language of clay with the immaterial resonance of sound, creating a visual conversation that unfolds across both disciplines. ‘African Still Life’ draws its conceptual depth from the artist’s deliberate layering of cultural references, where American tradition meets African and Asian ritual practice within the charged space of his studio.

The title itself signals Gates’ playful and philosophical expansion of still life as a genre. Rather than the quiet arrangement of domestic objects, these works pulse with the energy of cultural exchange and personal archaeology. Ceramic forms occupy the gallery floor and walls with considerable physical presence, some mounted on marble bases inscribed with dates and references that ground them in time and place. A wooden sculpture, deeply weathered and carved, sits atop a marble plinth marked ‘6914’, suggesting archival weight and deliberate documentation. Nearby, a painting rendered in ochre and grey tones depicting an umbrella or parasol figure hangs with subtle quietude, inviting prolonged looking.

The gallery space itself becomes essential to the experience. White walls and a skylit ceiling create an almost ceremonial luminosity, while glimpses of a library and seated figures visible through adjoining rooms suggest that knowledge, music and contemplation animate every threshold. Gates has orchestrated these elements not as separate objects but as an integrated landscape of thought, where the boundary between visual and sonic practice dissolves entirely.

‘African Still Life’ continues at White Cube Seoul until 18 December 2026. The gallery is located in Seoul’s vibrant art district, accessible by appointment and during regular viewing hours.

Imagery courtesy of White Cube (@whitecube).