Gravity and Grace
Don’t miss the first solo exhibition in a New York museum by the globally renowned contemporary artist El Anatsui. This show features over 30 works in metal and wood that transform appropriated objects into site-specific sculptures. Anatsui converts found materials into a new type of media that lies between sculpture and painting, combining aesthetic traditions from his birth country, Ghana; his home in Nsukka, Nigeria; and the global history of abstraction. His pieces may at first seem to be tapestries fashioned from fabric but take a closer look, they are made from discarded milk tins and liquor bottle caps.
Included in the exhibition are twelve recent monumental wall and floor sculptures, widely considered to represent the apex of Anatsui’s career. The metal wall works, created with bottle caps from a distillery in Nsukka, are pieced together to form colorful, textured hangings that take on radically new shapes with each installation. Anatsui is captivated by his materials’ history of use, reflecting his own nomadic background. Gravity and Grace responds to a long history of innovations in abstract art and performance, building upon cross-cultural exchange among Africa, Europe, and the Americas and presenting works in a wholly new, African medium.
Brooklyn Museum, February 8–August 4, 2013
© 2024 by Harmony Blog