El Anatsui Ghanaian, b. 1944
Initially showing his work at the Venice Biennale in 1990, it wasn't until Ghanian artist El Anatsui participated in the 2006 and 2007 exhibitions in Venice that his metal tapestries captivated audiences. His international fame increased as did the demand for his monumental, shimmering metal works that hang draped on many museum walls. His story is one that was welcomed and quickly absorbed into contemporary culture.
Each work is a collective effort by artists trained by Anatsui to gather and sort discarded commercial metal products, such as bottle caps and aluminum pieces. These are assembled and connected with wire, which results in open-work metal quilts. Up-cycling commercial cast-offs join a craft sensibility with a high-art scale. Recognition for Anatsui's work led a new curiosity and appreciation for the arts of Contemporary Africa.
Our untitled lithograph harkens the sensibility of the wall hangings on a domestic scale. It implies a variety of metal components with metallic inks set against vibrant yellows, browns, and reds. The paper is dye-cut to emphasize the shapes employed and folded as Anatsui's hanging works would drape.