The Africa Institute hosted the second edition of ‘Global Ghana: Sites of Departure/ Sites of Return’ in Sharjah on March 8-10, 2022.
The country focused program opened with a keynote lecture, delivered by Chika Okeke-Agulu – Professor of African and African Diaspora Art, Princeton University, USA to mark the publication of his co-authored book, “El Anatsui: The Reinvention of Sculpture” (2022).
Published by Damiani, the new 360-page volume is the product of more than three decades of research and collaboration with the artist by two acclaimed scholars Chika Okeke-Agulu and late Okwui Enwezor.
‘El Anatsui. The Reinvention of Sculpture’ is the most comprehensive, incisive and authoritative account yet on the work of El Anatsui, the world-renowned, Ghanaian-born Nigerian sculptor.
In his keynote, Dr. Okeke-Agulu shared his examination of the ontological and epistemic orders that inform our understanding of artist El Anatsui’s shapeshifting, monumental metal sculptures, and the challenges they pose to normative art history scholarship.
He expressed his gratitude for making the scholarly conference possible that indicates the possibilities of collaboration between the cultural institutions spearheaded by the President of The Africa Institute, Hoor Al Qasimi and Director of The Africa Institute, Dr Salah Hassan and peers.
As an artist, critic and art historian, Chika Okeke-Agulu serves as the Director of the Program in African Studies and Professor of African and African Diaspora art in the Department of African American Studies, and Department of Art & Archaeology, Princeton University. He recently co-organized (with late Okwui Enwezor) the travelling survey El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale opened at Haus der Kunst, Munich (2019) to survey the work of artist, El Anatsui that Chika believes is “‘pureless’ in his insistence on subjecting his chosen sculptural media to rigorous media analysis until he extracted from it a new and significant formal language.”
Chika further shared in his keynote, “From El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale exhibition and especially in the newly published book, ‘El Anatsui: The Reinvention of Sculpture,’” we examined El Anatsui’s decades long exploration of wood, terracotta and metal. Ideas about fragmentation, fragility that led to the invention of a type of sculptural object that is epic and metamorphic; and what it has to do with histories of migration of the west African people and the violence of the European-African colonial encounter.”
The book traces how El Anatsui’s art has pushed the boundaries of sculpture, starting with terracotta pieces in the late 1970s and over the following decade, he switched to wood and began to experiment with scale, layers, color and pattern. In the context of post-independence Ghana and mid-20th century African modernism, hundreds of color images examine the sculptures in detail, providing readers an in-depth understanding of the artist’s process and how style, sculptures and approach transformed over time that made him one of the most formidable sculptors in history.
To further celebrate this book release and work of the authors, a book signing with co-author, Chika Okeke-Agulu was held on 8th March 2022 in the Africa Hall theatre allowing participants and attendees interact with the author. It is worth noting that the book was sold out by the evening.
The Africa Institute hosted the second edition of ‘Global Ghana: Sites of Departure/ Sites of Return’ in Sharjah on March 8-10, 2022.
The Africa Institute hosted the second edition of ‘Global Ghana: Sites of Departure/ Sites of Return’ in Sharjah on March 8-10, 2022.
The country focused program opened with a keynote lecture, delivered by Chika Okeke-Agulu – Professor of African and African Diaspora Art, Princeton University, USA to mark the publication of his co-authored book, “El Anatsui: The Reinvention of Sculpture” (2022).
Published by Damiani, the new 360-page volume is the product of more than three decades of research and collaboration with the artist by two acclaimed scholars Chika Okeke-Agulu and late Okwui Enwezor.
‘El Anatsui. The Reinvention of Sculpture’ is the most comprehensive, incisive and authoritative account yet on the work of El Anatsui, the world-renowned, Ghanaian-born Nigerian sculptor.
In his keynote, Dr. Okeke-Agulu shared his examination of the ontological and epistemic orders that inform our understanding of artist El Anatsui’s shapeshifting, monumental metal sculptures, and the challenges they pose to normative art history scholarship.
He expressed his gratitude for making the scholarly conference possible that indicates the possibilities of collaboration between the cultural institutions spearheaded by the President of The Africa Institute, Hoor Al Qasimi and Director of The Africa Institute, Dr Salah Hassan and peers.
As an artist, critic and art historian, Chika Okeke-Agulu serves as the Director of the Program in African Studies and Professor of African and African Diaspora art in the Department of African American Studies, and Department of Art & Archaeology, Princeton University. He recently co-organized (with late Okwui Enwezor) the travelling survey El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale opened at Haus der Kunst, Munich (2019) to survey the work of artist, El Anatsui that Chika believes is “‘pureless’ in his insistence on subjecting his chosen sculptural media to rigorous media analysis until he extracted from it a new and significant formal language.”
Chika further shared in his keynote, “From El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale exhibition and especially in the newly published book, ‘El Anatsui: The Reinvention of Sculpture,’” we examined El Anatsui’s decades long exploration of wood, terracotta and metal. Ideas about fragmentation, fragility that led to the invention of a type of sculptural object that is epic and metamorphic; and what it has to do with histories of migration of the west African people and the violence of the European-African colonial encounter.”
The book traces how El Anatsui’s art has pushed the boundaries of sculpture, starting with terracotta pieces in the late 1970s and over the following decade, he switched to wood and began to experiment with scale, layers, color and pattern. In the context of post-independence Ghana and mid-20th century African modernism, hundreds of color images examine the sculptures in detail, providing readers an in-depth understanding of the artist’s process and how style, sculptures and approach transformed over time that made him one of the most formidable sculptors in history.
To further celebrate this book release and work of the authors, a book signing with co-author, Chika Okeke-Agulu was held on 8th March 2022 in the Africa Hall theatre allowing participants and attendees interact with the author. It is worth noting that the book was sold out by the evening.
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