El Anatsui's solo exhibition opens at the Fowler Museum, LA

El Anatsui: Gawu

"It's hard to think of many found-object artists who have achieved work as intricately made, culturally resonant and visually sumptuous as El Anatsui's."
Art in America, May 2006

Originally from Ghana but living in Nigeria since 1975, El Anatsui is one of Africa's most influential artists, recently named by Britain's The Independent as one of the fifty greatest cultural figures shaping the continent. His work dwells on the continent's history, drawing simultaneously on traditional African idioms and contemporary western art.

This exhibition includes eight large-scale works that make use of large quantities of discarded everyday objects such as bottle tops, flattened food tins, and cassava graters woven together to create magnificent sculptural 'tapestries,' which recall the Ghanaian tradition of weaving kente cloth.

April 22, 2007 to August 26, 2007

culled from the website. http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/

www.elanatsui.com
For more information about the artist his recently launched website is a good starting point. Though not content rich it has enough information to give you an insight into his work. A plus for the site is the publication section which provides substantial bibliographical information for more in-depth research.

The site also allows us to follow the artist in the global presentation of his work with current and forthcoming exhibitions including Sharjah Biennale, Artempo, and 52nd Venice Biennale.