Hallo guys,
it’s a while ago since I’ve visited an exhibition so I thought I could recap an old one that’s very special to me, too: “Triumphant Scale” by El Anatsui that took place last spring in the “Haus der Kunst” here in Munich.
I heard about El Anatsui the first time five years ago in a seminar at university and I was immediately fascinated by his work. His way of thinking art made me think a lot about art too and from the beginning I loved his works that are textile eventhough they aren’t.
So, what did I see?
I saw his early works made by recycled wood as well as the giant sculptures hanging on the museum’s walls.
As I mentioned all these works remind me of textile, the wall hangings even more. It is the repetition of the patterns, the rhythm, the way the single bottle caps are processed and put together and the colours resulting in the finished piece that make El Anatsui’s works resemble to kente, a woven indigenous textile from Ghana.
A very special characteristic of his art is as well that he uses almost only recycled material. The wooden works in the 1990’s as well as his newer works are made by found materials. Especially the bottle caps are showing the consumer society that is suggerated to the people in Africa by the West letting just waste, poverty and hunger behind.
Still El Anatsui gives with this art not only new life to this trash but also tells the story of the people using them and with his enormous art studio work to many young artists, too.
You see, a very inspiring work, right?
After I visited this exhibition almost one year ago, I made a small watercolour study trying to catch the colours and shapes as well as the movement of this beautiful “textile”.
Soon I hope to paint again some art inspired by El Anatsui’s work concentrating more on maybe unseen patterns and the beauty of geometry.
What artists that are less known are you inspired from?
I would be glad if you let me know in the comments below.
Stay happy and creative!
Yours, Thea