Artist Talk: El Anatsui

A unique opportunity to hear artist El Anatsui speak about his life and extraordinary career as his Hyundai Commission in the Turbine Hall opens to the public

One of the most distinctive artists working today, El Anatsui has developed a highly innovative approach to sculpture. Since the late 1990s he has experimented with liquor bottle-tops, the product of a global industry built on colonial trade routes. Interested in the changing histories of the objects he repurposes, Anatsui combines African aesthetic traditions with the global history of abstraction. Over several decades, his practice has explored the evolution of human civilisation, African decolonisation movements, histories of migration, and life’s existential journeys.

He is joined in conversation by curator Osei Bonsu to discuss the evolution and influences of his work from early experiments as a student in the 1960s to his latest large-scale compositions. They will discuss the key themes of his practice including trade, consumption and the environment.

The conversation is followed by audience Q&A.