Jeff Gates is an artist and writer interested in the intersection of art and culture. Since 2010, he's created over 300 photo collages on the sorry state of American political discourse. Google Arts & Culture has published eight online exhibitions of this work.
Experimentation with new technologies and public engagement are essential to his work. During the 2012 presidential election, Gates bought ad space in Washington, DC's Metro, placing his images on subway signs. During the project, he engaged commuters on the social issues debated close by on Capitol Hill. After 9/11, he launched the website "Dichotomy: It Was a Matter of Time and Place." People posted their stories from two perspectives side-by-side: those affected directly by the attacks and those who witnessed the events via the media. And in 1999, concerned about online privacy, he used eBay to auction his personal demographics.
He has written for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, and NPR and authored the book "Uneventful: The Rise of Photography," exploring photography's evolution from the 19th to the 21st centuries. He has a BA in Political Science and an MFA in Photography and Graphic Design.
