El Anatsui, a Nigerian-based artist, is well-known for his large hangings and curtains made from discarded and manipulated metal bottle caps. The potency of Anatsui's art derives from its beauty, size, and laborious handwork, as well as its relationship to African textile and visual traditions, and past and current social histories. This wall piece, in particular, has an austere bearing or character. A large earth-colored gash aggressively splits the surface, while warm colors dominate the field and contrast with bits of of bright blue metal. Anatsui seems to have constructed Basin as a singular whole, rather than through a selection and quilting process, which is his typical working method. The bottle caps incorporated here also show his full range of manipulations.

Source: News, Jul Aug Sept 2014