Close up of tin can lids that make up the sculpture below
Need a touch of inspiration? I wasn’t looking for that particular brand of motivation when I headed out to the Brooklyn Museum and the highly touted El Anatsui exhibit there. But it’s certainly what I left with.
Tin can lids sculpted into ART
A Ghanaian sculptor working in traditional media like clay and wood, he has more recently transformed discarded objects–bottle caps, tin can covers and metal bands from liquor bottles–into sculptural wall-hangings and floor pieces:
mutable in form, conceived to be so free and flexible that they can be shaped in any way and altered in appearance for each installation.
We have a modern day Rumpelstiltskin turning straw into gold. I was so taken with his ability to see beauty in the everyday objects and discards of life. He employs studios full or artisans who drill holes in the lids, twist tie bottle caps together and fabricate yardage from garbage. The videos on display show his workers in action, humbly plying their craft. Then, under El Anatsui’s direction, they lay out the assembled pieces into enormous tapestries that are hung as the spirit moves.
Hanging tapestry from liquor bottle labels, caps and wrappers
It made me think about how much we have in our lives today, but may not see the art or abundance in. There is so much pleasure in the threads of everyday life that can lost in the ‘wall of noise’ emitted from our devices and minds. This museum trip gave me a moment to quiet those external forces and really look at what this artist has done, which in turn helped me appreciate how truly wealthy I am in all that matters.
What are you overlooking in your daily life that, when regarded with awe and appreciation, can be transformed through your vision?
Hi Jane,
I saw this exhibit when it first went up and when I went El Anatsui was there! I met him and, along with 20 or so other people walked around with him through the rooms. He was quiet spoken, easy soft smile – and you could feel a peace within him. I found him and the work humbling and inspirational at the same time. You are right — we have riches all around us! Thanks for sharing this and making the great connections you always do.
Jeanine
@Jeanine
What a privilege! I felt his presence through the videos they have at the museum, but to walk through the exhibit with him must have been extraordinary.