El Anatsui , a Ghanian Sculptor, is showing his new works at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This show is titled
“Exhibitions: Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui” and runs until August 4, 2013. Although he works in many types of media, I favor his large, wall sized draperies made from discarded bits of metal such as lids of cans, bottle tops, and liquor bottle wrappers. The patterns he creates sparkle with gold and silver tones.
Here is a quote concerning his work from the Brooklyn Museum of Art Website…
“El Anatsui became interested in the notion of walls as religious, political, and social constructs after visiting three cities whose histories have been shaped by such structures: Berlin, Jerusalem, and Notsie, a city in Togo from which his Ewe ancestors claim descent. Gli can mean “wall,” “disrupt,” or “story” in the Ewe language. “Walls are meant to block views,” Anatsui says, “but they block only the view of the eye—the ocular view— not the imaginative view. When the eye scans a certain barrier, the imagination tends to go beyond that barrier. Walls reveal more things than they hide.”
Should you be in New York City, don’t miss this show!