El Anatsui: The Reinvention of Sculpture

This book is the most comprehensive and authoritative account yet on the work of El Anatsui, a Ghanaian-born sculptor. It shows how his early wood reliefs and terracottas express a search for alternative models of art-making, while his monumental metal sculptures evoke the impact of colonization and postcolonial forces. The manual labor of flattening, cutting, twisting, and crushing bottle caps and using copper wires to suture and stitch the elements into one dazzling, reconfigurable epic piece serves as a metaphor for human life.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 17 March 2022
Publisher: Damiani

This is the most comprehensive and authoritative account yet on the work of El Anatsui, the world-renowned Ghanaian-born sculptor. Authored by two acclaimed scholars, Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu, this remarkable book is the product of more than three decades of research and close collaboration with the artist. It showcases how his early wood reliefs and terracottas, as well as the later monumental metal sculptures, express a profound search for alternative models of art-making.

The authors argue that the pervasive use of fragmentation as a compositional device in Anatsui's oeuvre evokes the profound impact of colonization and postcolonial forces on African cultures. At the same time, the invocation of resilience and fragility invests his shape-shifting sculptures with iconic power. The authors also demonstrate how, in his critically acclaimed metal works, the manual labor of flattening, cutting, twisting, and crushing bottle caps and using copper wires to suture and stitch the elements into one dazzling, reconfigurable epic piece serves as a powerful metaphor for human life.

This book presents Anatsui as a visionary of incomparable imagination, while also situating his work within a broader historical context. Specifically, it explores the postcolonial modernism of midcentury African artists and writers, the cultural ferment of post-independence Ghana, and the intellectual environment of the 1970s Nsukka School. By recovering these histories, the authors shed light on how and why Anatsui emerged as one of the most formidable sculptors of our time.

In conclusion, "El Anatsui: Sculpture as Metaphor" is a groundbreaking work that offers a deep and insightful exploration of the artistic brilliance of El Anatsui. It is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary art, African culture, and the power of sculpture to convey meaning and emotion.

Weight: 2444g
Dimension: 333 x 331 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9788862087636