El Anatsui Behind the Red Wall

          

 

My favourite time to visit an art gallery is when they open in the morning. There’s a serenity to the space and you often have the gallery to yourself, even if it is just for a few minutes. This happened when I went to see El Anatsui’s Hyundai commissioned installations in the gigantic Turnbine Hall at Tate Modern. 

Behind Red Moon features three artworks constructed from thousands of crushed bottle tops and metal fragments that are stitched together with copper wire. The metal canvases become huge sculptures as they descend, revealing landscapes symbolic of ‘the moon, the sail, the Earth and the wall.’ 

 

On closer inspection, fragments of words on the non-precious metal bottle tops reveal the human connection. The brightly coloured metal used commercially for practicality with seemingly little value is transformed into a beautiful, shimmering material. It also signifys the global industry built on colonial trade routes connecting Africa, Europe and the Americas. 

 

The most powerful aspect of the work for me was the size. Looking up at meters of handmade material glittering in the light felt like a spiritual experience. As the text accompanying the work states ‘Anatsui explores the entangled relationships and geographies that bind us together.” This was the first time I’ve seen El Anatsui’s work in real life and I can’t wait to see more.