The Ghanaian genius fills the Turbine Hall with splendour

Each material has its properties, physical and even spiritual
-El Anatsui

Tate Turbine has spent the first part of this year hosting a real marvel: Ghanaian artist El Anatsui’s stunning tapestries that reach from ceiling to floor in one of the world’s biggest exhibition spaces.

“Viewing the hangings from afar, a landscape of symbols is revealed: the moon, the sail, the wave, the earth, and the wall. Up close, the bottle tops’ logos speak to the material’s social lives as commodities of a global industry built on colonial trade routes. Together, the past and present of Africa and Europe merge into sculptural forms that hang in the air and appear to float across the space. The hangings embody Anatsui’s idea of the ‘non-fixed form’, and are part of his highly experimental approach to sculpture.” Tate Modern

I first saw El Anatsui’s work at the groundbreaking Africa Remix show in the 2000s and have followed his work ever since. He is one of the contemporary masters of African art and is a trailblazer in the global contemporary art scene.

Anatsui’s artistry transforms the detritus of late capitalism – our endless, discarded resources like bottle caps, wrappings and packaging, cassava graters, and more – into sculptures that defy conventional categorization.

His dedication to sustainability, transformation, and a profound connection to his homeland shines through his choice of materials. Anatsui’s art delves into colonial history, consumerism, waste, and environmentalism, reflecting a deep concern for these pressing issues. Yet, what truly captivates is the unique way he intertwines colour, texture, design, and light, creating artwork that seems to come alive, harmonizing with the surrounding air.

Renowned for creating monumental sculptures crafted from thousands of crushed and folded aluminum bottle caps collected from local recycling stations, Anatsui’s works are a breathtaking fusion of luminosity and weight, meticulously intertwined with copper wire. They resemble rich and kingly fabrics, worn by queens and emperors. They have a nobility and wondrousness that belies their humble and despised materials. These works totally upend and challenge the ideas about “value” that underpin the global economic system.

These intricate pieces, often of colossal proportions, are nevertheless malleable and change with each installation. Each time a piece is reinstalled it takes on a new appearance, through the scale of the space, the light and the folds of the intricately woven tapestry.

I managed to catch the last days of the stupendous exhibition of the enormous pieces at Tate Modern and was entranced by the awe-inspiring vision of El Anatsui, where artistry and sustainability converge to create something splendid and beautiful out of disregarded detritus – work that resonates with both mind and soul.

TATE MODERN is London’s major museum of modern and contemporary art built from a decommissioned power station. The Turbine Hall is a vast interior space given over to large scale site responsive installations. The Tate Modern has an enormous permanent collection and also hosts special exhibitions. There are many places to relax eat and drink in the building and nearby.