El Anatsui
dal 9/4/2014 al 9/8/2014
Segnalato da
9/4/2014
El Anatsui
Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach
Gravity and Grace. Twelve monumental metal wall and floor sculptures, and a series of works on paper
As part of the Bass Museum of Art's 50th anniversary celebrations, the exhibition "Gravity and Grace" highlights Anatsui's recent work and features twelve monumental metal wall and floor sculptures, widely considered to represent the apex of his career to date. In addition, a series of works on paper illuminate his artistic process, while wooden wall reliefs reference his extensive work in other media. Drawing on the artistic and aesthetic traditions of his birth country of Ghana, his home in Nigeria and various Western art forms and movements, Anatsui's work combines personal, local and global concerns. Anatsui arranges for the collection of discarded aluminum bottle tops, seals and labels produced by local Nigerian distilleries, which are then bent, twisted and pieced together to create massive, colorful, richly-textured hanging works. Given liquor's crucial role in the slave trade, these monumental pieces also reference colonial relationships between Europe, Africa and the United States. As the exhibition travels, each installation of Anatsui's artwork will be quite different. The artist encourages museum staff to "sculpt" each metal piece as they install it, and so the works are condensed, expanded or reshaped to fit the space and sensibility of each institution. The exhibition is organized by Ellen Rudolph, former Interim Chief Curator of the Akron Art Museum, in collaboration with the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery in New York. Opening reception April 10, 7-10p.m. With a conversation with Silvia Karman Cubina, Director and Chief Curator of the Bass Museum and the artist El Anatsui.