El Anatsui

El Anatsui (/ɛl ˌænətˈsuːi/; born 4 February 1944) is a Ghanaian sculptor active for much of his career in Nigeria. He has drawn particular international attention for his "bottle-top installations". These installations consist of thousands of aluminum pieces sourced from alcohol recycling stations and sewn together with copper wire, which are then transformed into metallic cloth-like wall sculptures. Such materials, while seemingly stiff and sturdy, are actually free and flexible, which often helps with manipulation when installing his sculptures. Quotes Museums are essentially cultural institutions meant to educate people. So, the important thing is not the location of the museum, but the agenda of the museum. I am happy to see that the museums in the UAE are taking a very wide view of culture and are collecting artworks from Asia, Africa and around the world. I feel they are on the right path and I applaud that. Interview response to the question 'How do you feel about the Guggenheim and other prestigious museums coming to this region?' The first time I came to the UAE, I met two traders here who were from my little village in Ghana and were in Dubai to buy goods. So, I have always associated this place with commerce and trade. But my last three trips have all been for cultural occasions such as the Sharjah Biennial, Art Dubai and the Guggenheim Talks. I now see this place as the emerging cultural metropolis of the world, and am very happy to have my work in the collection of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. From being known only in Ghana, and then Nigeria, to having my work in European and American museums, has been a good journey. And it is nice to widen that circle. Interview response to the question 'And what do feel about your work being in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi?' I created this piece for the Sharjah Biennial in 2007, which had a theme related to the environment. I have been working with bottle caps for a long time, but this was the first piece that had a combination of all the different patterns, weaves and textures that I have developed in this medium. This was also the first time where in between the dense areas, I incorporated some open, see-through areas made from the rings around the bottles. In a metaphoric reference to the way we harm our skin, which is the largest organ in our body, this piece depicts the various injuries, cuts and bruises that we have inflicted on the skin or crust of the Earth. And the open areas refer to how human beings have overexploited natural resources, leaving almost nothing behind. This is one of my most travelled pieces and has been exhibited in Norway, Japan and the United States. It is nice that it is back in the UAE now. Interview response to the question '“Earth’s Skin” is one of your most emblematic artworks. What is the concept behind it?' I initially began working with these bottle caps because I wanted to make sculptures with fluid forms. But later, I researched the history of how these beverages came to Africa, and found that they were brought by Europeans traders, who exchanged them for various goods, and eventually even for slaves, who were taken to the Americas. The slaves probably worked on farms producing sugar cane, which in turn was used to make the drinks that were exported to Europe and brought back to Africa. So, in a sense, these bottle caps represent a link between the people of Africa, Europe and America. When I work with this medium, I am very much aware of its historic significance. For me, the process of linking the bottle caps to create these artworks is also symbolic, and raises questions about whether the historic links they represent between Africa and other continents were beneficial or destructive. Interview response to the question 'You have been working with bottle caps obtained from a local distillery since 1999. What is the deeper significance of this medium for you?' Art is a universal sensibility. Reference External links Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:Artists from Ghana Category:Sculptors Category:Installation artists Category:University of Nigeria alumni