A few weeks ago, I attended the El Anatsui’s exhibit, “When I Last Wrote to You about Africa”, at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Mar. 30-Jun. 29, 2011.  Now, I must admit, I never heard of El Anatsui prior to this, and I hadn’t attended this museum before.  On both accounts, I was… staggered.

As a quilt artist, I tended to limit my inspirations and participations to only fiber-related events.  By expanding my horizons, I was treated to one of the most inspiring and impressive exhibits I have ever attended.

For those who do not know, El Anatsui, born 1944, is a Ghanaian sculptor whose medium are things that we would have called, “trash”.  He uses bottle caps, pieces of aluminum, wood, and ceramics; materials that he found in his environment.  The exhibit consisted of a retrospective of his work for the past 40 years.

His pieces were huge, colorful, and inspiring.  His piece, “Plot a Plan III”, (73 x 97 in., made from aluminum and copper wiring) was draped on the wall, resembling kente fabric. It was magnetic to look at, up close and from across the room.  His recent structures are called installations, because they are made to collapse or be reshaped to whatever the space allows.

Even though I’m not a sculptor, his “installation” pieces were very reminiscent of fabric.  Since this exhibit is presently over, but you can still see his work at Sterling and Francine Clarke Art Institute, Williamstown MA, Jun. 12, 2011- Oct. 16, 2011.  To learn more about El Anatsui, go to www.octobergallery.co.uk/artists/anatsui/index.shtml or en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Anatsui.