The Word Gli By El Anatsui

El Anatsui is an African contemporary artist, who uses art to expresses the culture of Africa post colonialization. Anatsui uses natural materials such as wood, clay, and discarded bottle caps in his artwork. Many of his pieces reflect the Ghanaian culture, by using inspirations from Kente cloth, a traditional West African cloth made from woven textiles with multiple patterns. He uses his art to take a stand by informing people on the issues that Africa currently faces. Anatsui’s art references many historical events from Africa and around the world. He creates malleable sculptures that display the influence that European Colonization has had on African culture and the world. His sculptures are transformed displayed differently for each museum exhibit. El Anatsui uses different mediums to show the aftereffects of European colonization of Africa, alcoholism and the culture of West Africans.

El Anatsui was born in the town Anyako in the southern region of Ghana in 1944. He used art to express himself as a child, leading his uncle to advise him to pursue a degree in fine arts. He studied at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Africa. Anatsui

The word gli originates from Ewe and has multiple meanings, wall, disrupts, or story. The inspiration behind this piece are the walls from multiple countries around the world. Some of the most well-known are the Berlin Wall, Jerusalem, and Notsie in Togo. These walls symbolize a conflict between different countries. He uses tapestry sequence used was created with flattened aluminum caps and metal rings. Gli, represents the African culture by using the patterns of kente cloth. The resemblance of a wall comes from one of the hangings at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, hangs in-between two columns appearing to be a wall to further provoke thought on the impact of