GRAY is thrilled to announce OH, YOU’VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY, a solo exhibition by Theaster Gates. The exhibition opens at GRAY Chicago with a public reception for the artist on Thursday, October 16, and will be on view through December 20, 2025.

In OH, YOU’VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY, Gates brings together a new series of tar paintings, sculpture, and installation to tell an allegory of the city in decay and the potential contained within its ruins. The exhibition’s title comes from a song by Chicago musician and poet Marvin Tate, in which the City, personified as a character, has cleaned up its act and attempts to lure its residents back from the suburbs.

Oh, you’ve got to come back to the city, the place where you belong
Oh, you’ve got to come back to the city, the place where you were born
Oh, you’ve got to come back to the city, the city of dreams
—Marvin Tate, “City Promenade”