El Anatsui: Process and Project


2009-04-01

One of the standouts and darlings (there�s a difference) of this year�s Armory Show was El Anatsui. Famous for his use of bottle tops to make glittering wall hangings / paintings, El Anatsui�s work seems to hover between traditional and contemporary in the best way. Is it painting? Is it sculpture? Nowadays if you�re not sure, that�s a hint that someone�s on to something. (Just kidding, mostly.) This show is a preview of a major retrospective coming to the Museum of African Art as one of its inaugural exhibitions when it opens on the Upper East Side next year. (They�re always a year or two behind up there.) Featuring the monumental installation Peak Project, pictured, the exhibition also features a trove of drawings and preparatory sketches for works in wood and ceramic as well as archival photographs of the artist at work in his studio. Works in the show range from 1979 up to 2007�s Venice Biennale and allow us to see the artist�s process for individual

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