You know you have "made it" as an artist when your work is shown in your hometown by a gallery based half way around the world. Gates is an artist whose work includes sculpture, installation and "urban interventions." His work bridges the gap between art and everyday life; he is an activist as much as an artist. Find out more HERE.
The piece, Priority: central structure, is made of wood, roofing substrate and tar. So while it looks like a painting? It has as much in common with a roof. Check out Eaves below as well; it is literally an eave. Gates is a true master of taking the things we see everyday and making them art. He shows us the mundane can also be beautiful.
Salcedo is a Columbian-born scupltor. When I saw this piece I thought of furniture works by Paul Gauguin. There is no stylistic similarity between the works; they are both bureaus, however. It is something I wish more designers took into account when creating our furniture. Her work, like Gates', often uses everyday items. She was also a professor at Universidad Nacional de Colombia after receiving her MFA from NYU. You can find out more on the artist HERE.