Paul Morris, Theaster Gates. Image courtesy of Patrick McMullan.
Tuesday October 25, 2011, the Gramercy Hotel hosted The Armory Show’s 2012 Artist Party. Artists and afficcionado’s alike gathered amid the candlelit velvet of the classic, Old New York-style Rose Bar to celebrate the nomination of Theaster Gates as The Armory Show’s 2012 Commission Artist.
Mr. Gates, a multimedia artist, has been lauded for his work in performance, installations, and music. In anticipation of The Armory Show, March 7 through 11, 2012, he now turns his attention to textiles with his Civil Rights Throw Rugs. While these tidy square rugs seem to be made of rough silk, they are actually composed of decommissioned fire hoses. Gates has created a set of 20 rugs (including one specifically for display at the MoMA) designed to draw attention to the tension between civility and the Civil Right’s Movement and specifically the role that fire hoses played in this struggle.
The Armory Show began to officially commission artists in 2006, and in 2008, these artists began to produce edition pieces specifically for the annual fair. However, 2012 will mark the first year that MoMA will receive one of the prints.
This party has whetted Whitewall’s Armory appetite and we look forward to seeing more of Gates’ work, as well as the work of other up-and0coming artists, beginning March 7.
Nazy Nazhand. Image courtesy of Patrick McMullan.
April Hunt, Paola Zanzo. Image courtesy of Patrick McMullan.
Image courtesy of Patrick McMullen.
Image courtesy of Patrick McMullen.