Jack Shainman Gallery
513 W20th Street
Feb 20-March 13, 2010
"Art grows out of each particular situation, and I believe that artists are better off working with whatever their environment throws up."
-El Anatsui, 2003
Untitled, 2007
144 x 192 in
El Anatsui uses discarded materials he finds on the streets of his home in Africa to create truly magnificent artwork. Thousands of metal scraps, including old printing plates and aluminum from bottles, are twisted together with wire to create large, shimmering curtains. The pieces are arranged row after row to create a grid, giving the curtains geometry and structure, but the result has a cloth or tapestry-like appearance.
Intermittent Signals, 2009
11ft x 35 ft
Bleeding Takari II, 2007
155 x 227 in
I visited the gallery last Saturday, February 27th, and it is safe to say I have fallen in sweet love with the art of El Anatsui. I find his work is extremely impressive because of the way he manipulates stiff, metal materials to create something that looks fluid and organic. The metals are arranged by color and coordinated effectively to create textile-like patterns. The way that these curtains bend, buckle, and (in some cases) spill onto the floor give a real sense of weight and gravity to the work.
I am intrigued by the idea of using "found objects," and letting the materials provided in the environment define the path of the artwork, rather than letting an original idea dictate the materials that are used. Because he chooses to recover and manipulate discarded materials, one could assume there is an underlying environmental statement regarding global consumerism. The work also seems to reflect traditional patterns and textiles of African art.
I read that El Anatsui is not particular about the way that his artwork is draped and doesn't mind other people mounting it (but he does prefer horizontal ripples over vertical). So not only is his material defined by what his environment provides, but the actual display of his work is dependent on circumstance and the environment as well.
Seeing this intricate, radiant, detailed artwork in person is quite an experience. I highly recommend going to see this show. To give you a bit of a sense of scale, here is a photo of the master himself:
Stay inspired!
Cassandra
click here to see more from this artist.
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