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Lot Essay
'Artists are better off working with whatever their environment throws up. I think that's what has been happening in Africa for a long time...I believe that color is inherent in everything, and it's possible to get color from around you and that you're better off picking something which relates to your circumstances and your environment than going to buy ready-made color' (El Anatsui, exh. cat, London, 2005, n.p.).
The exquisite and majestic sculpture, Another Plot, conceived by El Anatsui in 2007 is a stunning example from his monumental cloth series, many of which are currently featured in the Brooklyn Museum exhibition Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui. This multi-colored tapestry constructed from folded aluminum and copper wire, exemplifies Anatsui's passion for utilizing found objects as a means to visually reference the issues that plague his home country of Ghana as well as global consumerism. Predominantly copper colored with slashes of vibrant blue and plots of lemon yellow, this metal tapestry elegantly drapes the wall. Formed from hammered, cut, and folded caps, the manipulated pieces are connected with copper wire, giving the sculpture a breath of movement. Site specific to each location installed, Another Plot, when hung, will dance across and hug the wall differently. Slight folds in the tapestry manipulate the light creating moments of light and shadow. Anastui evokes all the formal qualities of painting without a drop of paint, rather he takes inspiration to what is found around him.
Anatsui began this experimentation with the found object ten years ago when he paused to examine a garbage bag overflowing with aluminum bottle caps. From this moment on, Anatsui has continually been motivated by the surprisingly beautiful color palette provided by the alcohol caps. The rich color index and geometric patterns found in the folded wall sculptures also reference a native ceremonial tapestry of Ghana, the kente cloth. Originally worn by kings for official occasions, Anatsui's work alludes to the cultural history of Ghana weaving the mutual histories of past and present into one.
Typically taken from local distilleries, the bottle caps speak to the main industry located in Ghana. Anatsui was not only attracted to the coloring, but also to the commercial links the industry alludes to: 'When I first found the bag of bottle tops, I thought of the objects as links between Africa and Europe. European traders introduced the bottle tops, and alcohol was one of the commodities they brought with them to exchange for African goods. Eventually alcohol was used in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Europeans made rum in the West Indies, took it to Liverpool, and then sent it back to Africa. For me, the bottle caps have a strong reference to the history of Africa' (E. Anatsui quoted in E. Gee, El Anatsui When Last Wrote to You about Africa, exh. cat. Museum for African Art, New York, 2011, pp. 33-34). Another Plot combines products of both past and present industry to create a beautiful metal tapestry, connecting the individual and collective histories of Africa in its allusions to antiquity, consumption and globalization.
The exquisite and majestic sculpture, Another Plot, conceived by El Anatsui in 2007 is a stunning example from his monumental cloth series, many of which are currently featured in the Brooklyn Museum exhibition Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui. This multi-colored tapestry constructed from folded aluminum and copper wire, exemplifies Anatsui's passion for utilizing found objects as a means to visually reference the issues that plague his home country of Ghana as well as global consumerism. Predominantly copper colored with slashes of vibrant blue and plots of lemon yellow, this metal tapestry elegantly drapes the wall. Formed from hammered, cut, and folded caps, the manipulated pieces are connected with copper wire, giving the sculpture a breath of movement. Site specific to each location installed, Another Plot, when hung, will dance across and hug the wall differently. Slight folds in the tapestry manipulate the light creating moments of light and shadow. Anastui evokes all the formal qualities of painting without a drop of paint, rather he takes inspiration to what is found around him.
Anatsui began this experimentation with the found object ten years ago when he paused to examine a garbage bag overflowing with aluminum bottle caps. From this moment on, Anatsui has continually been motivated by the surprisingly beautiful color palette provided by the alcohol caps. The rich color index and geometric patterns found in the folded wall sculptures also reference a native ceremonial tapestry of Ghana, the kente cloth. Originally worn by kings for official occasions, Anatsui's work alludes to the cultural history of Ghana weaving the mutual histories of past and present into one.
Typically taken from local distilleries, the bottle caps speak to the main industry located in Ghana. Anatsui was not only attracted to the coloring, but also to the commercial links the industry alludes to: 'When I first found the bag of bottle tops, I thought of the objects as links between Africa and Europe. European traders introduced the bottle tops, and alcohol was one of the commodities they brought with them to exchange for African goods. Eventually alcohol was used in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Europeans made rum in the West Indies, took it to Liverpool, and then sent it back to Africa. For me, the bottle caps have a strong reference to the history of Africa' (E. Anatsui quoted in E. Gee, El Anatsui When Last Wrote to You about Africa, exh. cat. Museum for African Art, New York, 2011, pp. 33-34). Another Plot combines products of both past and present industry to create a beautiful metal tapestry, connecting the individual and collective histories of Africa in its allusions to antiquity, consumption and globalization.