{"product_id":"el-anatsui-paper-and-silver-2021","title":"EL ANATSUI \"PAPER AND SILVER\" 2024","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eEl Anatsui (b. 1944) is an acclaimed Ghanian sculptor working out of Nigeria. Known for his large-scale tapestry-like metallic sculptures created from discarded resources, Anatsui draws meaningful connections between consumption, waste, and the environment.  The artist is equally interested in decoration, through reuse, transformation, and a desire to connect to his continent and community throughout his practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eBorn in Anyako, Ghana, Anatsui is the son of a master weaver of Kente cloth. He trained at Kwame Nkrumah University in Kumsai, and taught as a Professor of Sculpture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) for four decades. During his time at UNN, Anatsui began incorporating southeastern Nigerian symbolism into his work, alongside his pre-existing indigenous Akinkra and Ghanian motifs, ideologies, and symbolism. Shortly after this creatvie evolution, he became associated with the Nsukka Group--a collective united by the goal of revitalizing the practice of Uli (a traditional southeastern Nigerian art form characterized by abstract designs inspired by natural forms) and incorporate its motifs into contemporary art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eEvoking political, historical, and visual references, Anatsui invites his viewers to engage with work that exists on its own terms. His fluid compositions take on different forms with each installation, responding directly to their environments and challenging long-held views on the parameters of sculpture. While they look like lusciously draped fabric from afar, the installations are made from sourced metal and carry weight both literally and figuratively. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAluminum bottle caps are a key material for the artist, as he admires their versatility in form and colour, and their direct reference to modern society through their apparent branding. He explains, \"The most important thing for me is the transformation. The fact that these ...each identifying a brand of drink, are no longer going back to serve the same role but are elements that could generate some reflection, some thinking, or just some wonder. This is possible because they are removed from their accustomed, functional context into a new one, and they bring along their histories and identities.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\"Paper and Silver\" combines printmaking and collage to create a dazzling composition of clustered geometric fragments. To make this project, Anatsui collected, shaped, and combined aluminum bottle caps, anchoring them to a printed image of the same material and process. This technique invites a close inspection from viewers, as their first impression will not be complete; Only upon closer inspection are they rewarded with the dimensionality of the work, an intimate exchange between the artist and his audience. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAnatsui's work thrives with active audience participation, whether walking among his pieces or thinking about their place in the world in conjunction with the issues he highlights. Much of Anatsui's work is \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/elanatsui.art\/artworks\/el-anatsui-perspectives-2015\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ecolossal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e in scale, so this piece offers a rare opportunity to display his meaningful artwork in an intimate setting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHis work can be found amongst some of the most prestigious art collections globally, including the MET and the MOMA in New York, the Smithsonian in Washington, the Pompidou in Paris, and the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi among \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/elanatsui.art\/collections\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eothers\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. In 2023, Anatsui was awarded the reputable Hyundai Commission by the Tate Modern in London, and he created a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/whats-on\/tate-modern\/el-anatsui\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ebreathtaking installation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e in the Turbine Hall of the museum. He was included in the 2023 Time's 100 list of the world's most influential people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eQuestions about this piece? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"mailto:info@caviar20.com\"\u003eContact us\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, call +1.416.704.1720, or \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.caviar20.com\/pages\/contact\" target=\"_blank\"\u003evisit our Toronto gallery\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\"Paper and Silver\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e2024\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eInkjet pigment print with irregular hand-cut edges conforming to the image, printed and hand-cut and hand-sculpted aluminum collage, copper wire\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eSigned, dated, and numbered \"21\/30\" on label, verso\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFrom an edition of 30\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e30.5\"H 35\"W (work, approximately)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e32.5\"H 38.5\"W (framed)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePublisher: Benefit Print Project\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eVery good condition\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"El Anatsui","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47590029426924,"sku":"05-26","price":24500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0074\/2712\/files\/Caviar20_El-Anatsui-Bottlecap-print_01.jpg?v=1777662726","url":"https:\/\/www.caviar20.com\/products\/el-anatsui-paper-and-silver-2021","provider":"Caviar20","version":"1.0","type":"link"}