First South African Solo Museum Exhibition – El Anatsui: Meyina is at Iziko South African National Gallery until 29 April 2018.
The first ever solo museum exhibition, on South African soil, of works by internationally acclaimed artist, El Anatsui recently opened at the Iziko South African National Gallery. In a career that spans over four decades Anatsui has created a vast body of work that has expanded the language of contemporary sculpture in Africa and the globe.
The show entitled, “El Anatsui: Meyina,” presents a portrait of the artist; highlighting aspects of his artistic practice and his career as a university professor, clearly illustrating how his work has impacted on several generations of artists; curators and writers from across the continent.
Anatsui transforms simple materials into complex assemblages that create distinct visual impact. The works showcased in the exhibition: large-scale sculptural installations, which read like intricate tapestries, are composed of thousands of crumpled pieces of metal bound together with copper wire. The works engages with, and comments on, African history, post-colonial conditions, as well as the daily realities and experiences on the continent.
“Bringing such a compelling exhibition to South African audiences facilitates greater opportunity to create awareness, as well as an appreciation of African perspectives and more diverse continental narratives. Iziko is honoured to host an exhibition of such an iconic artist.
“There are significant linkages in his work to present day South Africa where we are currently experiencing an intense and important time of renewed energy and dynamism across all spheres of creativity and discourse that is particularly apparent among a younger generation of cultural activists .In addition, the narratives of African colonial and post -colonial histories, and the effects of consumerism on the environment, as articulated in many of the pieces on show, are relevant to current conversations taking place in both local and global context amongst diverse groups and nations,” says Rooksana Omar, Chief Executive Officer of Iziko Museums of South Africa. Read more