How El Anatsui Broke the Seal on Contemporary Art

“His runaway success began with castaway junk: a bag of bottle caps along the road. Now the Ghanaian sculptor is redefining Africa’s place in the global art scene.” ~Julian Lucas

After missing a chance to interview the artist at the Triumphant Scale exhibition at Kunstmuseum Bern due to the Covid-19 pandemic, New York based writer and critic, Julian Lucas finally delivers an insightful piece with an in-depth look into the makings and workings of the monolith that is El Anatsui. This article literally requires Lucas to journey across the world to score his coveted interview with the Ghanaian master sculptor. The article also features input from former students of Anatsui; Chika Okeke-Agulu, co-curator of Triumphant Scale, Amarachi Okafor, Anatsui’s assistant and archivist and Uche Onyishi, his studio manager.