PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Philadelphia Museum of Art will soon unveil a major new commission by the acclaimed artist El Anatsui. The installation, set to debut in the museum’s Williams Forum, will showcase Anatsui’s pioneering approach to art through a striking, two-year display.
El Anatsui, renowned for his innovative use of repurposed materials, has crafted a site-specific piece that reimagines the ordinary into the extraordinary. This work focuses on metal security seals from bottle necks, transformed into approximately 200 human silhouettes suspended in the museum’s central space. These figures, from certain angles, coalesce into a globe-like shape, creating a dynamic conversation about global connections and individual experiences.
The installation is vast, covering over 27 by 40 feet, and invites viewers to engage from various perspectives. This approach allows visitors to experience the interplay of structure and space, highlighting both communal and personal interpretations. Anatsui’s work challenges audiences to explore beyond the visual realm, invoking a sensory journey through sight, sound, and touch. “The intricate interplay between opacity and transparency generates an ambiguous optical illusion,” Anatsui explains. “Navigating this multi-layered work demands the use of all senses—sight, sound, and touch—thus challenging us to move beyond conventional frameworks.”
The transformation of mundane bottle seals into art also reflects Anatsui’s commentary on consumption and waste. By repurposing these materials, the artist addresses the ethics of global trade and environmental concerns, urging a re-evaluation of what society discards as waste. He states, “What some might consider mundane, defunct, or even ugly can be transformed through reconfiguration, reimagination, and re-embrace.”
Sasha Suda, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, expresses her enthusiasm for the project, “I have long admired El Anatsui as an artist. The opportunity to collaborate with him for this site-specific installation is a dream come true. I’m excited that our Philadelphia community, as well as our visitors across the U.S. and the world, will now get to experience El’s work. This is truly an honor for the PMA.”
This commission marks the first phase of a collaboration that will continue into 2026, with a comprehensive exhibition of Anatsui’s prints and paper works in the museum’s Daniel W. Dietrich II Galleries. This partnership builds on Anatsui’s longstanding relationship with Philadelphia’s Brandywine Workshop and Archives, where he has been involved since 2017. The Brandywine’s El Anatsui Fellowship, launched in 2023, further cements these ties by bringing African artists to Philadelphia for residencies.
El Anatsui’s installation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art promises to be a compelling exploration of material transformation and global narratives, offering art enthusiasts a profound and reflective experience.
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