El Anatsui by Temma Nanas - Ghanaian-born artist, El Antasui, is known the world-over for his extraordinary and awe-inspiring woven aluminum bottle cap tapestries. His works are not readily accessible to the average collector and can generally only be seen in institutional and museum exhibitions. These majestic found object masterpieces can be massive in scale, some exceeding 36 feet wide and 30 feet-plus tall. This is why I find this particular work, Variation I (B) from 2014 to be so special. For the first time, it brings Anatsui's dynamic style and process down-to-Earth in terms of scale and accessibility. It contains hand-sculpted paper elements and copper wire, making it a distinctive, essentially one-of-a-kind work. - The elements are digital images of Anatsui's iconic bottle tops printed on paper. The paper pieces are bound with the copper wire and collaged together making each artwork voluminous and three-dimensional. The project remains true to the artist's ongoing interest in making works that explore the possibility of having more than one vantage point or plane. In further connecting with the larger textile constructions, this work also bears multiple orientations. - This innovative project was created by combining analog art forms and advanced digital processes that play upon new technologies and was the first of its kind to be realized by the artist. - #staffpick #stafffavorite #elanatsui #anatsui #ghana #ghanaian #tapestry #bottlecaps #detritus #foundart #aluminum #woven #weave #3D #copper #paper - El Anatasui, Variation I (B), 2014 pigment print with hand collage and copper wire, 25 1/2 x 33 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches (framed), edition of 16, signed and annotated (at Leslie Sacks Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvhSE61FSNr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=uqse73c2tqns
