GATS - ENTAGLED: RESPONDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS: Westmont Ridley - Tree Museum

GATS is an internationally acclaimed artist associated with an iconic masked face, which they paint onto the urban landscape - from walls and rooftops to tunnels and trucks. The GATS' mask is powerful and confrontational, with its all-seeing gaze and intricate symbolism. The artist equates graffitti with accessibility and freedom of expression. Their spray-painted masks in urban and abadoned spaces are the most direct and honest way they can speak. 

The iconic mask evokes a playful relationship between the viewer and their environment offering a sense of belonging and meaning to people and places upon which each piece is selectively painted.

GATS' studio practice contenxtualizes their art in the streets through repurposing and adorning found objects. The artist's interest in printmaking and typography, stemming from their involvement within California subcultures, influenced the development of their distinctive style. GATS' work provokes the viewer to reconsider their relationship to place within the context of their urban environment.