Lot 435
  • 435

El Anatsui

Estimate
650,000 - 850,000 USD
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Description

  • El Anatsui
  • Blema
  • aluminum and copper wire
  • Overall: 146 by 217 in. 370.8 by 551.2 cm.
  • Executed in 2006.

Provenance

David Krut Projects, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Exhibited

New York, David Krut Projects, Asi: El Anatsui, November - December 2006, n.p., illustrated in color
Bloomsbury, The October Gallery, From Courage to Freedom: El Anatsui, Romuald Hazoumè, Owusu-Ankomah, February - May 2007

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. The bottle caps and wires are bent in some spots, which is inherent to the artist's working method. Some of the bottle caps exhibit evidence of dirt and surface abrasions, which is inherent to the nature of the found medium.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

From afar, El Anatsui’s Blema (2006) immediately grabs your eye – a gilded tapestry, shimmering in the light, undulating with texture and energy. This monumental work has a feeling of sheer opulence and luxury; it is the ultimate glittery jewel that utterly overwhelms the senses. Yet upon closer approach and inspection, it is clear that this breathtaking sensation is merely an illusion. Indeed, the very fabric of the work is a net of discarded, ephemeral beer bottle caps, intricately woven together by copper wire. What appeared to be expensive and rare golden fabric is actually the detritus of modern life.

El Anatsui, who was born in Ghana but largely works and teaches in Nigeria, began his career in the 1980s and 1990s using organic, natural materials such as wood and clay. In recent years, however, El Anatsui has transitioned to media that is entirely synthetic and manmade. By regenerating and repurposing the bottle caps, he imbues these discarded materials with a new meaning and aesthetic. Though these objects have no intrinsic value, their social value strikes right at the heart of post-Colonial Africa. The beer caps are a subtle allusion to the colonialists who introduced alcohol and modern, Westernized culture into Africa during Colonization. With a profound sense of humanity, El Anatsui creates Blema and the other works from this period perhaps with the intention to bear witness to the current state of his post-Colonial native country.

Blema’s shimmering gold surface has unique patterns and shapes that morph and emerge before the spectator’s eye. El Anatsui modeled the designs of this series off of Kente cloth, a traditional African textile with vibrant patterns and often with Adinkra designs. Adinkra symbols, originating in Ghana, are decorative and symbolic forms that can adorn many fabrics, architecture or clothing in West African society. These culturally resonant designs delicately emerge in patterns of gold, red and black in Blema, creating an underlying lexicon and iconography that strongly evokes the African tradition and aesthetic. There exists a dichotomy in the overall visual impact of this work – we simultaneously see a gilded Baroque tapestry or mosaic, evoking the excess and luxury in European royal history, yet we also see an intricate assemblage of found objects and scraps of contemporary African life. In Blema, El Anatsui elegantly juxtaposes these two aesthetics – and these two cultures – into one majestic work that leaves the viewer wondering, what is real and what is the illusion?