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El AnatsuiBlack and Silver2018
2018
About the Item
El Anatsui (b. 1944) is an acclaimed Ghanian sculptor working out of Nigeria. Known for his large-scale tapestry-like metallic sculptures created from discarded resources, Anatsui draws meaningful connections between consumption, waste, and the environment. The artist is equally interested in decoration, through reuse, transformation, and a desire to connect to his continent and community throughout his practice.
Born in Anyako, Ghana, Anatsui is the son of a master weaver of Kente cloth. He trained at Kwame Nkrumah University in Kumsai, and taught as a Professor of Sculpture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) for four decades. During his time at UNN, Anatsui began incorporating southeastern Nigerian symbolism into his work, alongside his pre-existing indigenous Akinkra and Ghanian motifs, ideologies, and symbolism. Shortly after this creatvie evolution, he became associated with the Nsukka Group--a collective united by the goal of revitalizing the practice of Uli (a traditional southeastern Nigerian art form characterized by abstract designs inspired by natural forms) and incorporate its motifs into contemporary art.
Evoking political, historical, and visual references, Anatsui invites his viewers to engage with work that exists on its own terms. His fluid compositions take on different forms with each installation, responding directly to their environments and challenging long-held views on the parameters of sculpture. While they look like lusciously draped fabric from afar, the installations are made from sourced metal and carry weight both literally and figuratively.
Aluminum bottle caps are a key material for the artist, as he admires their versatility in form and colour, and their direct reference to modern society through their apparent branding. He explains, "The most important thing for me is the transformation. The fact that these [...] each identifying a brand of drink, are no longer going back to serve the same role but are elements that could generate some reflection, some thinking, or just some wonder. This is possible because they are removed from their accustomed, functional context into a new one, and they bring along their histories and identities."
"Black and Silver" combines printmaking and collage to create a dazzling composition of clustered geometric fragments. To make this project, Anatsui collected, shaped, and combined aluminum bottle caps, anchoring them to a printed image of the same material and process. This technique invites a close inspection from viewers, as their first impression will not be complete; Only upon closer inspection are they rewarded with the dimensionality of the work, an intimate exchange between the artist and his audience.
Anatsui's work thrives with active audience participation, whether walking among his pieces or thinking about their place in the world in conjunction with the issues he highlights. Much of Anatsui's work is colossal in scale, so this piece offers a rare opportunity to display his meaningful artwork in an intimate setting.
His work can be found amongst some of the most prestigious art collections globally, including the MET and the MOMA in New York, the Smithsonian in Washington, the Pompidou in Paris, and the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi among others. In 2023, Anatsui was awarded the reputable Hyundai Commission by the Tate Modern in London, and he created a breathtaking installation in the Turbine Hall of the museum. He was included in the 2023 Time's 100 list of the world's most influential people.
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"Black and Silver"
2018
Inkjet pigment print with irregular hand-cut edges conforming to the image, printed and hand-cut and hand-sculpted aluminum collage, copper wire
From an edition of 30 with 5 director's proofs
Numbered 5 of 5 (image forthcoming)
21.5"H 28"W (work, approximately)
32.5"H 38.5"W (framed)
Publisher: Benefit Print Project
Very good condition
- Creator:El Anatsui (1944, Ghanian)
- Creation Year:2018
- Dimensions:Height: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:very good condition.
- Gallery Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 04-251stDibs: LU215216215932
El Anatsui
Ghanaian artist and sculptor El Anatsui uses humble found materials — mostly famously, bottle caps — to make monumental artworks. Currently living and working in Nigeria, Anatsui is known for defying categorization, with sculptures that have been described variously as resembling quilts, animal hides, chainmail, lace and mosaics. He also creates smaller-scale abstract prints with a similar look and energy.
Anatsui was born in 1944 and earned his bachelor’s degree from Ghana’s Kumasi College of Arts, Science and Technology in 1968. He followed it up with a postgraduate diploma in art education and took his first teaching post at the University of Education in Ghana in 1969. In the late 1970s, Anatsui began creating his own art, mainly in terra-cotta, inspired by traditional African forms.
In 1982, Anatsui became a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he continued to teach until 2011. Over the 1980s, he branched out and experimented with materials like wood, giving him greater freedom of scale, pattern and color. Over time, he began to use smaller pieces of metal stitched-together copper wire to build grandiose sculptures, which became his signature look and technique. In addition to bottle caps, Anatsui is known for using printing plates, iron nails, railroad ties and tin cans.
Whatever material he chooses for any given piece, Anatsui ensures that it has a connection to Africa, often sourcing from local recycling stations. His work is an exploration of the environment, waste, colonialism, local traditions, consumption and the connections between all of these facets. In the process, he transforms discarded items into beautiful art installations.
In 2008, Anatsui was recognized for his contributions to art with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Venice Biennale. His work has been exhibited all over the world, including at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka and Rice Gallery in Houston. In 2022, Damiani Publishers released a 360-page book titled El Anatsui: The Reinvention of Sculpture, which chronicles his life and work.
On 1stDibs, find El Anatsui prints and other art.
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