El Anatsui at the Clark

The Ghanaian-born sculptor El Anatsui (b. 1944) is one of the most significant artistic innovators of our time, merging personal, local, and global concerns in his visual creations. By weaving together discarded aluminum tops from Nigerian liquor bottles, Anatsui creates large-scale sculptures called gawu("metal" or "fashioned cloth" in Anatsui's native language) that demonstrate a fascinating interplay of color, shape, and fluidity. In an illustrated essay, Alisa LaGamma provides a brief history of El Anatsui's career and an analysis of his practice. The catalogue also includes a never-before-published conversation between noted artist and curator Chika Okeke-Agulu and Anatsui, as they discuss the themes of history, economy, sustainability, and identity explored within Anatsui's work. Dramatic photographs of the installations at the Clark provide a unique look at these immersive sculptures, including Intermittent Signals(2009) and Delta(2010), in the contemplative spaces of Stone Hill Center.

Alisa LaGamma is curator in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Chika Okeke-Agulu is Assistant Professor in the Art and Archaeology Department at Princeton University.