Gagosian: Theaster Gates Commissioned for Frieze at Obama Presidential Center
On June 22, 2026, Gagosian announced that Theaster Gates has been commissioned to create a permanent installation for the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side, scheduled to open in 2026. The expansive frieze will incorporate images from the Johnson Publishing Company archive and the Howard Simmons photographic collection. The work will occupy the public atrium of the Forum Building, named for Hadiya Pendleton.
The Signal
The commission extends Gates’s established method of elevating Black cultural archives into large-scale public projects. It places the artist’s practice at the center of a major civic institution on Chicago’s South Side. The placement signals continued institutional interest in artists who work with historical materials to address collective memory.
- Artists: Theaster Gates
- People: Hadiya Pendleton
- Galleries: Gagosian
- Locations: Chicago
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