FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sonni Adams
[Artspace] at Untitled
405-815-9995
sonni@artspaceatuntitled.org
[Artspace] at Untitled to exhibit El Anatsui
September 18 - November 7, 2009; Opening Reception September 18 at 5 pm
OKLAHOMA CITY - [Artspace] at Untitled is pleased to present an exhibition of West African artist El Anatsui’s most recent works, September 18 through November 7, 2009 with an opening reception September 18 from 5 to 8 pm, at [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd Street, Oklahoma City. Anatsui’s art takes the form of large-scale wall reliefs resembling traditional African kente cloths. The works that often measure 12 to 15 feet wide are made of thousands of pieces of stitched together aluminum cut out of screw tops found on liquor bottles from distilleries in the artist’s hometown of Nsukka, Nigeria.
El Anatsui, Awu
© El Anatsui
As an artist, Anatsui came to prominence during the explosive West African post-independence art movements of the late 1960s and 1970s. He has since received worldwide critical attention for his experimental sculptural style that draws on his heritage but pushes boundaries due to his use of unconventional materials and methods of presentation.
Born in the Volta region of Ghana in 1944, El Anatsui studied art at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumase, graduating in 1969. He remained as an instructor at the University in Ghana until 1975 when he took a teaching post at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu Province. Today, he holds the position of head of the sculpture department at UNN.
Anatsui’s “cloth series” began around 2003 when he discovered a discarded bag of bottle tops while scavenging through refuse to be used to make his sculpture. The hundreds of shiny liquor bottle caps attracted him so he took them home to his studio, but it wasn’t until six months later that the idea came to him to cut them out and sew them together with copper wire, ultimately assembling them into cloth-like strips. Anatsui utilizes as many as twenty assistants who assist with the sewing of the metal pieces and one finished sculpture may take as long as four months to complete.
Anatsui has also referred to this series as “Gawu” which is a word derived from his native Ewe language. It translates roughly as “metal cloak”. Some critics believe this series comments on consumerism, waste, the social problems of alcoholism, and the transformation of recycled materials. To the artist himself, it is important that his materials are derived from the everyday world around him. He states, “Art grows out of each particular situation and I believe that 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, in fact not only in Africa but the whole world, except that maybe in the West they might have developed these 'professional' materials. But I don't think that working with such prescribed materials would be very interesting to me--industrially produced colors for painting. 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.” For more information about [Artspace] at Untitled, visit www.artspaceatuntitled.org or call 405.815.9995.
[Artspace] at Untitled is a non-profit contemporary arts center located in downtown Oklahoma City committed to stimulating new ideas and creative thought through contemporary art. [Artspace] at Untitled is dedicated to providing access to quality exhibitions, educational programs, performances, and publications and to involving the community in collaborative outreach efforts. This exhibition is free and open to the public.
For more information about [Artspace] at Untitled, visit artspaceatuntitled.org or call 405.815.9995.
