Thursday, August 1, 2013

El Anatsui *the Glory of Bottle Caps, Tin Lids, Twist Ties & more*


The El Anatsui exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum is stunning
and you have til August 18th to see it!




I enjoyed the John Singer Sargent watercolors, which were loose and lively, 
and as terrific as I expected them to be.
but
Thank you Melissa Stampley, for telling me not to miss Anatsui's exhibit on the 5th floor!



El Anatsui was born in Ghana and has been teaching and exhibiting his work for over 40 years.
He is the dept head at The University of Nigeria, Nsukka.



It was in 1998 that Anatsui came across a bag of twist-off liquor bottle caps which altered
his work and the course of his career.
At the 2007 Venice Biennale, his Fresh and Fading Memories, caused a sensation

image courtesy thehighline.org

You can view his outdoor installation, Broken Bridge 2 on the High Line through September 2013.

More from the Brooklyn Museum...






Anatsui's individual pieces take on a different shape and form depending on 
the installation and space they are occupying.
Apparently, each can be folded up to fit inside a suitcase for travel :)


View The New York Times Slide Show and learn a bit more...



As much as I love the scale and impact of his work, I'm just crazy about the details. 
You can almost feel the process, the time & work that goes into each piece 
and of course, the colors grab you! 


In an interview with October Gallery, EL Anatsui noted, “The amazing thing about working with these metallic ‘fabrics’ is that the poverty of the materials used in no way precludes the telling of rich and wonderful stories."




It's pretty spectacular to see this in person, feel the scale and be part of the space, installation.
It will be up for about 2 more weeks. If you're in NYC, go see it!
:::
Here's a video interview with El Anatsui at the museum.
(worth a look, if only to see how his socks match his artwork)
El Anatsui is currently represented by Jack Shainman Gallery.

:: art is fun :: 
thanks for stopping by!
xo, A

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