Menoluschable; The Art Of Seeing Sweetly

How many of us could truly see the potential for beauty in all the trash we find around us? One of the things I loved about places such as Nigeria and India was the fact that nothing that could possibly be recycled was ever let go. 

In the week I was with Mac1 in Edinburgh, we managed to fit in three different art exhibitions. The first was at the Talbot Rice Gallery in one of the university's grand old buildings. El Anatsui sees discarded bottle caps and collars, the metal ones, as material. Folding them, weaving them together with wire, allowing the resulting swathes of new 'fabric' to be hung according to each gallery's perception of the work, resulting, as he says, in a constant recycling of his art. Nothing of the fabric works is ever the same; each gallery appearance results in different folds, light, and shade. There are even some samples of the connected pieces for visitors to hold and gain a tactile experience.

As one enters the quadrangle towards the entrance to the gallery wing, one giant piece is hung to draw one in. The scale of many of Anatsui's works is gobsmacking. Born in Ghana, he has lived and worked in Nigeria since the mid-1980s. Earlier works were in ceramics and wood, but then, along came bottle caps. The history of alcohol in Ghana and Nigeria dates back to the enslavement of the people of West Africa - bottles were traded with chieftains in exchange for their 'subjects'... Sometimes, caps from medical supplies and food items are added.

'Scottish Mission Book Depot Keta', 2024. Aluminium and copper wire,

The wall-sized yellow fabric sculpture was commissioned for this exhibition and will remain with the gallery. It reflects Anatsui's relationship with his Presbyterian mission schooling and how the box of crayons delighted him.

'Leopards Paw Prints and Other Stories', 1991

It is difficult to convey here how incredibly atmospheric these works are. There were moments when one almost couldn't breathe from the majesty or, indeed, the emotional impact. My sister and I lingered long with many of the pieces. Every one could be meditated on for ages and still find something more to take away.

 'Freedom', 2021. Aluminium, copper wire and nylon string

I'm sharing a few more here, a "handful" (you'll see what I mean) tomorrow, and there will be more on Me-Now-Views next week. Do read the link provided above, and I think you will appreciate the short (16m) video with the master himself talking about his work and process. You'll see his workshop and the helpers he employs for their dexterity.

'Routes to Discovery', 2021

I hope to make a return visit before the exhibition closes (ten days from posting). Am heading back into Edinburgh for next week, so if all else aligns...

Woman’s Cloth (2002), the first of its kind 

Blue Metallic Eclipse, 2016 Indigo print with collage and chine-collé

'Earth Struggling to Grow Roots and Leaves', 2023. Aluminium and copper wire

If you ever get the opportunity to visit an exhibition of El Anatsui's works, do not miss it. Go and see how sweetly he conveys such depth of message and meaning! (If you cannot view the video here, go to it on YouTube.)