El Anatsui. Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works on view at the Bass Museum of Art

Through September 21, 2014

Drawing on the artistic and aesthetic traditions of his birth country of Ghana, his home in Nigeria and various Western art forms and movements, Anatsui’s work combines personal, local and global concerns.

Anatsui arranges for the collection of discarded aluminum bottle tops, seals and labels produced by local Nigerian distilleries, which are then bent, twisted and pieced together to create massive, colorful, richly-textured hanging works. Given liquor’s crucial role in the slave trade, these monumental pieces also reference colonial relationships between Europe, Africa and the United States.

The exhibition and national tour of Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui is organized by the Akron Art Museum and made possible by a major grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The exhibition is funded in part by a generous grant from National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Christie’s and Citizens Interested in Arts.

Bass Museum of Art
2100 collins avenue
miami beach, florida 33139
305.673.7530
www.bassmuseum.org

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.