Theaster Gates

Born in Chicago in 1973, Theaster Gates is a visual artist, social activist, urban planner, musical performer and Professor of Visual Art at the University of Chicago. From his base in the city's South Side district, Gates creates sculptures, installations, performances about social change. He buys and renovates derelict properties, using the materials he finds there - floorboards, tar, fire hoses - to create new works. He won the prestigious Artes Mundi prize in 2015. In the fourteenth episode of Brilliant Ideas, presented by Bloomberg and Hyundai Motor, we track down Gates at his studio.