Theaster Gates & The Black Monks - Afro-Mingei
* Live performance by Theaster Gates and The Black Monks (Yaw Agyeman, Mikel Patrick Avery, Michael Drayton)
* Recorded at White Cube, Masons Yard, London, Friday 24 May, 2019
* Pressed on 180-gram heavyweight black vinyl
* B-side etching of Afro-Mingei artwork
* Outer sleeve blind embossed, printed on perfect image black
* Inner sleeve features an image of Storefront Sign 2018, Neon, by Theaster Gates
* Limited edition of 750
Gates’s practice poses nuanced questions about cultural production as a means to foreground a new type of cultural hybridity.
In the 2019 exhibition, Afro-Mingei, which took place at White Cube, Masons Yard, London, where this live recording took place, two key strands of his work – Japanese philosophy and Black identity – combined to forge a new aesthetic; one that attempts to retrace cultural roots that are often submerged and forgotten within the structure of what Gates terms ‘Western-White sameness’.
The title of the exhibition deliberately blurs and brings together distinct cultural identities, each with their own rich history of aesthetics.
The term ‘Afro’ refers to both African-American culture as well as to its iconic hairstyle, re-appropriated during the 1960s and 1970s by Black post-civil rights leadership as a symbol of Black identity and empowerment.
The Japanese term mingei, coined by philosopher and cultural figure Soetsu Yanagi, along with potters Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai, denotes folk or craft objects made by local, unknown craftsmen.
For Yanagi, craft challenged conventional ideas of art and beauty since it evolved from traditional practices where the divisions between art, philosophy and religion had merged or disappeared. It is within this thematic framework that Gates introduces a series of objects, installations and interventions in the exhibition that address different ways of looking.
Incorporating various elements from Japanese culture such as sakazuki and tatami, with elements from Black culture such as African masks and a Hammond B3 organ, made popular by jazz players and 1960s soul musicians, they highlight hybridity as a pathway for new conceptual exploration.
Domestic orders are shipped via DHL Parcel UK or DHL Express Domestic. International orders are shipped via by DHL Express Worldwide, DHL Economy Select or DHL Global Mail Plus.
Overseas customers: Please note that your order has no local VAT attached at the point of sale. You may be liable to pay import tax and customs duty, as well as courier administration fees, depending on the laws of the destination country. Any customers who are shipping to a European Business address will need to provide an EORI Tax Number in the comments to allow their shipments to clear customs. Failure to provide this may result in delays and possible return to sender.
Orders placed with DHL Express, DHL Economy Select, DHL Domestic Express and DHL UK Mail shipping are typically dispatched within 1-2 working days. DHL Global Mail Plus shipments are dispatched 1-2 times a week.
Please be advised that stated delivery aims are only a guide and may be subject to change due to disruptions in global transport networks.
You have the right to cancel and return your order within 14 days of receiving your goods, as long as the item is still sealed, unused and in the same condition as it was delivered. Upon requesting a cancellation, you must return the product by post within 14 days. Customers are responsible for the cost and arrangement of the return shipping. Returns from overseas must be sent DDP (Delivery Duty Paid). Once the returned goods are received and confirmed by The Vinyl Factory, you will receive a refund for the goods value within 14 days, using the payment method selected at the point of purchase.
If you receive a faulty or damaged item, please contact us at customerservice@thevinylfactory.com and include photographic evidence in your email. If your parcel is declared lost by the shipping courier, we will dispatch a replacement to you as quickly as possible. If we are unable to provide a suitable replacement, we will instead offer you a full refund for the goods and shipping costs.
