El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa

The exhibition is a 40-year career retrospective of Ghanaian visual artist El Anatsui and will be his first solo exhibition in Canada. El Anatsui is the centrepiece of the Museum’s upcoming Season of Africa, an offering of exhibitions, new permanent installations, and a series of public programs and events inspired by African art and culture. El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa will be on display in the Roloff Beny Gallery on Level 4 of the ROM’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal from October 2, 2010 to January 2, 2011.

El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa is a career retrospective of the internationally renowned artist. Best known for monumental wall sculptures made from discarded bottle tops, Ghanaian-born artist El Anatsui, has transformed often-overlooked and discarded materials into monumental visual statements that reference global, local and personal histories, as well as traditional Ghanaian beliefs.

“The ICC is thrilled to present the striking work of world-renowned artist El Anatsui and to offer a robust schedule of engaging public events that will enlighten participants about the multi-faceted, cultural gem that is Africa,” said Francisco Alvarez, Managing Director, ICC . This retrospective has been organized by the Museum for African Art (MfAA), in New York, and will be one of the inaugural exhibitions in the MfAA’s new building, which opens in 2011. Drawing on Ghanaian and Nigerian cultural references as well as global, local and personal histories, El Anatsui’s body of work comprises large shimmering metal wall sculptures, for which he is best known, as well as paintings and sculptures in wood, ceramic and metal. The exhibition features 63 works in various media drawn from public and private collections internationally.
El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa is organized by the Museum for African Art, New York, and has been supported, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

There will be free admission to El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa during the 5th annual Scotiabank Nuit Blanche event on October 2, 2010, from 6:57 p.m. to sunrise. Supporting Sponsor are Moira and Alfredo Romano.