El Anatsui

El Anatsui is a world-renowned sculptor and professor. He was born 1944 in Anyako a small fishing town in Southern Ghana. His work has been shown in many prestigious art galleries around the world. His most recent works are dazzling metallic tapestries made from liquor bottle tops. His work is currently on view at the AGO, and his metal-cloth series and sculptures in wood, ceramic, and mixed media will be part of the world premiere of the artist’s first-ever career retrospective at the ROM. Some of his tapestries resemble kente cloths which is a celebrated type of strip-woven-cloth popular in Ghana and all of Africa.

He has used many different mediums throughout his career including wood and clay. Only recently has he begun to use liquor bottle tops. His bottle cap cloths are shown at such a large scale so that viewers can see the detail and perseverance he has put into his work. I personally like how he was able to show such a firm and useless material into something so majestic and beautiful.

Anatsui used ideas he mastered while creating his first works with metal for his installation titled Gli. This demonstrates the change of Anatsui's artistic vision. Anatsui has turned his creative spirits to the idea of a wall. His idea is that walls and barriers are "something that can close you in" but keeps people on both sides of the divide curious. Walls taunt the individual to jump mentally over the wall to picture what is on the other side.

I have seen his work in the AGO and found it ough inspiring. The craftsmanship involved to make something so inspiring made me think how one man could so something so meticulous. I find all of his work very creative and jaw dropping. I can not wait to work with him at the ROM I believe it is going to be something I remember for the rest of my life.