Good condition.
There are faint scratch marks on the tar paint in some places.
There is a piece of paper attached to the side, but it appears to be original.
Any minor unevenness in texture or color is as the artist intended.

The book has deteriorated which are thought to be an original condition (please refer to the detailed pictures).

Theaster Gates (1973-) is an American artist whose work is deeply rooted in social engagement. His practice includes ceramics, sculpture, performance, installation, archiving, architectural interventions in urban spaces and large-scale social projects, that often deal with the context and history of Black culture and the Black experience.
Gates has exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, Whitechapel Gallery, London, as well as dOCUMENTA (13) and the 2022 Aichi Triennale.

This work, Night Stand for Soul Sister, is a sculpture made from a repurposed wooden night stand painted black with tar, and a single book standing on display. The book itself is an old copy of the controversial book, ’Soul Sister’, by Grace Halsell. Like many of his other works, this piece makes direct references to the Black experience and African American history. ‘Soul Sister’ tells the story of a white journalist who darkened her skin in order to experience life as a black woman in Harlem and Mississippi. It was published in 1969, the year after the civil rights movement that led to the abolishment of racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. The dark cover of the book cover contrasts the viscous sheen of the tar that covers the nightstand, linking the darkened face of the white woman on the cover with the white wood painted black with tar. Tar is a material that Gates often uses in his works as a tribute to his late father who was a hot tar roofer in the South Side of Chicago. The tar is both symbolic of his father and the role of black labor within urban industry. The work is a powerful comment on the racial and political context of America, and asks the viewer to look deeper into the multilayered meaning and implications of the objects on display.

Christie’s, New York, March 6, 2014