GATS Points Of View. Acrylic On Found Wood 2.5' x 3.5' (The following description is translated from a conversation that I had with GATS in January, 2014 regarding the piece.) GATS is constantly exploring abandoned buildings and secret areas to paint. The wood came from an abandoned glass factory in the East Bay, Northern California. Inside of the factory building, there were large wooden cases used to ship sheets of glass. GATS broke the sheets apart and what was left were 3 of these vintage doors with the brass hinges attached. The interconnected faces in the masks represent the dualism of personalities that we as individuals play in our roles in society. Most of us have an image we portray in a professional environment (such as work) and another when we are with our friends and family (more relaxed). For GATS, he uses the mask to hide his identity. The story of this piece is intertwined with the history of the GATS mask itself. In 2005, during a conversation with a friend he explained that he was to go into a tunnel and paint. Against the wishes of his friend, he decided that he was still going to paint the tunnel but needed to create a new image that wasn't known by anyone who knew him. Hence the mask was born that night. The mask painted here is an evolution of 9 years of perfected work by GATS.
