AFRO MINGEI, THEASTER GATES’ ART OF FUSION

On ceramics made by the 2018 Nasher Prize Laureate, experience the culinary traditions of Japan and the African American South.

BY DARRYL RATCLIFF

It would be wrong to refer to Afro Mingei, a new project developed by artist and 2018 Nasher Prize Laureate Theaster Gates and tucked away inside the Nasher Sculpture Center, simply as a pop-up restaurant. Yes, it does serve food, and yes (spoiler alert), that food is incredibly delicious. Gates wants you to eat, and according to a local artist I ran into on my visit, he would also want you to have a drink or three. However, perhaps most importantly, Gates wants you to run into things. In the context of Afro Mingei, this means ideas, cultures, sounds, visuals, craft, meanings, and people. The title term, coined by Gates, connects the word for the iconic Black hairstyle that served as a symbol of Black identity and empowerment in the 1960s and 1970s and the Japanese term mingei, which was conceived by philosopher Yanagi Sōetsu and ceramists Hamada Shōji and Kawai Kanjirō to describe and honor the realm of humble objects of daily use made by unknown craftspeople. The project is a melting pot, a shrine to the sort of cultural pluralism that makes America great.

Let’s start with the food because if you go to Afro Mingei, you should definitely eat and drink. The menu combines the culinary traditions of Japan and the African American South served on ceramics made by the artist. The communal table is reclaimed wood from Gates’ hometown of Chicago. The menu is short and uniformly excellent. Two cold share plates, three hot share plates, and two sweet share plates. Gates envisions the dining room as a public square—this is not a place for seclusion, but to bump into your fellow diners. If there is one plate that exemplifies the mashup that Gates has created it is the heirloom cornmeal dumplings, made with Anson Mills cornmeal, shiitake leek broth, kabocha squash, chili oil, and My Epicurean Farm greens. The dish retained the instant comfort food of greens and cornbread that I grew up on, and yet the flavors and presentation were fusion at its finest. Follow that up with Green Circle karaage chicken, and your mind won’t be able to decide if Afro Mingei is the hottest new soul food spot or the trendiest new Japanese restaurant.

Don’t skimp out on the tea service: the vanilla bourbon rooibos is divine and served in hand-crafted ceramic glasses. For cocktails,

Above: The Green Circle karaage chicken from the Afro-Mingei menu. Photograph by Grant Daniels. Courtesy of the Nasher Sculpture Center. Below: Tea service from the Afro-Mingei menu. Photograph by Grant Daniels. Courtesy of the Nasher Sculpture Center.

the South Sea Sazerac, featuring brown butterfat-washed Japanese whiskey, was a highlight, as was the whiskey highball with Hibiki Harmony whiskey. If money ain’t a thing, splurge on a pour of the Tsunuki Peated Single Malt. If you are lucky, records will be spinning in the DJ booth; vinyl taken from Gates own extensive record collection.

“Theaster’s goal was to create a really sexy space,” says Jed Morse, chief curator of the Nasher Sculpture Center. Gates succeeds: the built environment is seductive, with neon lights, framed vintage prints, sleek lines, woods, just the right lighting, attentive service, earthen wares, and a sense of exclusivity. It feels like going to a speakeasy before it became not cool to go to a speakeasy. Morse shares that Afro Mingei will have a host to help welcome diners and share about Gates’ practice and intention for the space. There will also be programming throughout the duration of Afro Mingei that will give platforms to emerging artists of color.

This project is interesting insomuch as the last time Gates visited Dallas, he very publicly distanced himself from social practice and relational aesthetics—insisting to be referred to simply as a sculptor. However, we are who we are, and this piece makes one think of Gates’ famous origin story, his 2007 Plates Convergence, which saw him exhibit ceramic works made by legendary Japanese artist Shoji Yamaguchi, who fled Hiroshima and settled in the Mississippi Delta, where he married a Black civil rights activist named May. He started making ceramics specifically for the food of Southern Black people, and his son continued his legacy by organizing dinners during which racial tensions were addressed in various cities.

This elaborate backstory ended up being a complete fabrication by Gates, but nonetheless marks his long and enduring investigation and appreciation of Japanese culture and form. Whether or not, on the 15th anniversary of Gates’ first breakthrough, he has any more tricks in store for us remains to be seen. In the meantime, enjoy the expertly designed, executed, tasty, and sexy cultural experience Gates has designed for us. P