"Gravity and Grace": in the presence of work of El Anatsui

If life will take you to New York by August 18, 2013, take a rare opportunity to see art of El Anatsui at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Recent works — wall and ceiling hangings and floor installations, made of reclaimed materials including lids of evaporated milk cans and deconstructed bottle caps — are shimmering, textured wonders. Earlier work includes modular sculptures of reclaimed wood, worked with chainsaw, torch, router, and gouge, recalling Europe's often violent colonial-era division of the African continent; and the super-scaled Waste Paper Bags (2004) of discarded aluminum printing plates, recalling "Ghana must go" bags used by Ghanian refugees. The installation includes several excellent video clips that introduce Anatsui's inclusive attitude towards his work and methods, for example, using teams of young men who work as quilters may, creating segments which Anatsui composes into massive hangings. I was struck by how happy people look in the presence of his work.  https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/el_anatsui/