SAIC Community Members Recognized in ArtReview's Power 100 List

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Theaster Gates, and Martine Syms

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Theaster Gates, and Martine Syms

ArtReview has announced this year’s Power 100 list, an “annual ranking of the most influential people in art.” The 2021 Power 100 list recognizes three School of the Art Institute of Chicago community members.

Theaster Gates (HON 2014) ranks as number five on the Power 100. Gates has earned a ranking on the Power 100 almost every year since 2016 due to his dedication to “generating spaces for meeting and exchange, especially for underprivileged groups.” This year saw him open a solo show at Richard Gray Gallery, working on Barack Obama’s presidential library, and partnering with Prada to launch an incubator program for designers of color, amongst other projects.

Ranking as number 27 on the list is Apichatpong Weerasethakul (MFA 1998, HON 2011). The release of his 2021 film Memoria and his work on the exhibitions Periphery of the Night and A Minor History have established Weerasethakul as “one of the most distinctive voices in world cinema [and] one of the most steadfast critics of political repression.”

At ranking 95 is Martine Syms (BFA 2007), described by ArtReview as a “chronicler of our networked present.” In addition to running her own publishing imprint and premiering video work on the Serpentine and Foundation Beyeler websites, this year Syms has collaborated with the Carnegie Museum of Art on their podcast series Mirror with a Memory and launched solo shows in London and New York.

Congratulations to our three community members for receiving recognition for their accomplishments this year!