just returned from the just-extended el anatsui 'when i last wrote to you about africa' exhibit. i hadn't managed to make it last time i was in toronto, however due to its immense popularity it shall remain at the ROM for another month. there was more to the exhibit than just the well-recognized tapestries, if you will, however they are certainly the most spectacular pieces, mimicking cloth from afar and then becoming a postmodern take on pointillism when viewed up close. the fact that they are bits of liquor caps stitched together is simply phenomenal. it's interesting how the artist chose to re-appropriate materials commonly seen as garbage. in the blurbs the relationship between colonialism and the liquor bottles was mentioned, however i don't believe the environmental connection was commented upon. apparently el anatsui sees the old-to-the-new, the phoenix, as a fitting image for africa itself.
anyways, while i was mesmerized by the wall-hangings, i also found his woodwork to be particularly beautiful, especially the one belonging to the series to which the exhibit owes its name - a large piece of 'paper' upon which ghanian symbols are written. he also had a couple of sculptures comprised of multiple pieces of wood carved to resemble fabric (his grandmother's), again playing on the idea of fragmentation and destruction, what with portions of the wood being torched. stunning.
finally, i the few prints that were on display were wonderful. a couple were aquatint, a technique i'm not familiar with, and the rest were etches. dark and dramatic.
new project: make a tapestry myself! it may take a while to come up with the materials though...
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