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El Anatsui (Ghanaian, 1944)

Timeline

1968: Honourable Mention, First Ghana National Art Competition, Accra, Ghana.
1965–1969: BA (Art) College of Art, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
1969: Postgraduate Diploma in Art Education, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
1969: Best Student of the Year, College of Art, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
1969–1975: Lecturer, Art Education Department, Specialist Training College (now University of Winneba), Winneba, Ghana
1980: Artist-in-Residence, Cummington Community of Arts, Massachusetts, USA
1975–1982: Lecturer, Fine and Applied Arts Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria (UNN)
1982–1985: World Council Member, International Society for Education through Art (INSEA).
1985: Visiting Artist, Cornwall College, Redruth, UK.
1990: Honourable Mention (Joint), 44th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.
1991: Fellow, Pan-African Circle of Artists (PACA).
1990–1992: World Council Member, International Society for Education through Art (INSEA).
1995: Kansai Telecasting Corporation Prize, 3rd Osaka Sculpture Triennale, Osaka, Japan
1982–1996: Senior Lecturer, Fine and Applied Arts Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria (UNN)
1996: Visiting Artist, International People’s College. Helsingør, Denmark.
1997: International Visitor, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA.
1998: Bronze Prize, 9th Osaka Sculpture Triennale, Osaka, Japan
1999: The Public’s Prize, 7. Triennale der Kleinplastik, Stüttgart, Germany.
1999: Cyfuniad International Artist’s Residency, Plas Caerdeon, Barmouth, Wales, UK
1998–2000: Head of Department, Fine and Applied Arts Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria (UNN)
2000: Founding Member and Fellow, Forum for African Arts.
2000: Member, International Selection Committee, Dakar Biennale, Dakar, Senegal
2001: Residency and Fellowship, Civitella Ranieri Centre, Umbertide, Italy
2003: Residency, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
2003: Visiting Artist, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee; University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; University of California, Santa Barbara, California and St. Lawrence University, New York, USA.
1996–pres: Professor of Sculpture, Fine and Applied Arts Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria (UNN)

Exhibitions

2004–2006: Afrika Remix, Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf, Germany and touring to the Hayward Gallery, London, UK; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
2005: De Young Museum, San Francisco, USA
2005: Danudo: Recent Sculptures of El Anatsui (solo)
2005: Skoto Gallery (in collaboration with Contemporary African Art Gallery, New York) (solo)
2005: El Anatsui: Gawu, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida, USA (solo)
2005: El Anatsui: Gawu, October Gallery, London, UK (solo)
2003: El Anatsui: Gawu, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, Wales, UK. An Oriel Mostyn Gallery exhibition touring to Model Arts & Niland Gallery, Sligo, Republic of Ireland, Gallery Oldham, Oldham, England, UK, October Gallery, London, UK, Djanogly Gallery, University of Nottingham, England, UK and the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Florida, USA. (solo)
2003: Africa Informs, October Gallery, London, UK.
2003: Biennale de Ceramica dell’ Arte Contemporanea, Villa Groppallo, Vado Ligure, Italy.
2002: One: The Independent, Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, Liverpool, UK.
2002: El Anatsui: New Works, October Gallery, London, UK. (solo)
2001: Encounters with the Contemporary, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, USA.
2001: The Happy Face of Globalisation, The 1st Albissola Ceramics Biennale, Museo Civico d’ArteContemporanea and Museo della Ceramica Manlio Trucco, Albissola, Italy, touring to Musée Ariana, Geneva, Switzerland.
2001: Africas: The Artist and the City, Centro de Cultura Contemporania Barcelona (CCCB), Barcelona, Spain.
2000: El Tiempo de Africa (Africa’s Time), Centro Atlántico Arte Moderno, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.
1999: New Colours From Old Worlds: Contemporary Art from West Africa, October Gallery, London, UK.
1999: The Independent, Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, Liverpool, UK.
1998: 7. Triennale der Kleineplastik, Stüttgart, Germany.
1998: Thoughts and Processes– El Anatsui & Ndubisi Onah, The Italian Cultural Institute, Lagos, Nigeria.
1998: A Sculpted History of Africa, October Gallery, London, UK. (solo)
1997: Hakpa, French Cultural Centre, Lagos, Nigeria. (solo)
1997: The Poetics of Line– Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group, The National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
1996: Container ’96– Art Across Oceans, Langelinie, Copenhagen, Denmark.
1996: Group Exhibition, Avant-Garde Gallery, Kaduna, Nigeria.
1996: El Anatsui & Tesfaye Tessema, The Contemporary African Gallery, New York, USA.
1996: El Anatsui & Sol Le Witt, Skoto Gallewry, New York, USA
1995: El Anatsui, October Gallery, London, UK. (solo)
1995: AKA ’95, Bona Gallery, Enugu and Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria.
1995: Art In The Shadow, The Nigerian Pavillion at Africus– 1st Johannesburg Biennale, Johannesburg, South Africa.
1994: 5th Havana Biennale, Havana, Cuba.
1993: New Currents ’93– Avant-Garde Nigerian Art, Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria.
1992: Begegnung mit den Anderen, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany.
1991: AKA ’91, Bona Gallery, Enugu and Goethe Institut, Lagos, Nigeria.
1991: South of the World, Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea, Marsala, Italy.
1991: Old and New: An Exhibition of Sculpture in Assorted Wood, The National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria. (solo)
1990: Five Contemporary African Artists, 44th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.
1989: Zeitgenössische Nigerianische Kunst, Bonn, Bocholt and Mönchengladbach, Germany.
1988: AKA ’88, Nigerian Union of Journalists’ Press Centre, Enugu; Institute of African Studies, Nsukka and the National Gallery of Crafts and Design, Lagos, Nigeria.
1988: Walls and Gates– El Anatsui & Liz Willis, Avant-Garde Gallery, Kaduna, Nigeria.
1987: Venovize: Ceramic Sculptures, Faculty of Art and Design Gallery, Cornwall College, Redruth, UK. (solo)
1987: Pieces of Wood: An Exhibition of Mural Sculpture, The Franco-German Auditorium, Lagos, Nigeria. (solo)
1987: Original Prints from the 3rd Nsukka Workshop, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Goethe Institut, Lagos, Nigeria
1986: Nigerian-German Prints, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Franco-German Auditorium, Lagos, Nigeria
1983: Four Contemporary African Artists, Mintec Gallery, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
1982: Okike 10th Anniversary Exhibition, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
1982: Sculptures, Photographs, Drawings, Goethe Institute, Lagos, Nigeria. (solo)
1981: Drawing on the World, Billingham Art Gallery, Billingham; Middlesborough Art
1980: Wood Carvings, Cummington Community of Arts, Cummington, Massachusetts, USA. (solo)
1979: Broken Pots: Sculpture by El Anatsui, British Council, Enugu and the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. (solo)
1979: Christian Arts in Nigeria, Holy Trinity Cathedral Hall, Onitsha, Nigeria.
1976: Wooden Wall Plaques, Asele Art Gallery, Nsukka, Nigeria. (solo)
1975: Fabric Wall Hangings, Burnt Wooden Wall Plaques, The Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
1974: Tekarts Expo 5, Accra Arts Centre, Accra, Ghana.

Literature

2003: Anatsui, El, ‘Personal Security’ in Biennale de Ceramica dell’ Arte Contemporanea, 2003,
2003: Eulise, Eriberto, Afriche, Diaspore, Ibridi– Conceptualism as a Strategy in Contemporary African Art, 2003, AIEP Edizione, Bologna, Italy. pp. 182.
2002: Fall, N. & Pivin, J. L. (eds.), An Anthology of African Art in the 20th Century, 2002 , Editions
2001: Africas: The Artist and the City, 2001, Centro de Cultura Contemporania Barcelona (CCCB), Barcelona, Spain. pp. 94-97.
2001: Visona, M. B. et al., A History of Art in Africa, 2001, Hall and Abrams, New York, USA. pp. 226-227.
2000: Kemp, Martin (ed.), The Oxford History of Western Art, 2000, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. p. 488.
1999: Oguibe, O. & Enwizor, O. (eds) Reading the Contemporary, African Art from Theory to the Marketplace, 1999, INIVA, London, UK. pp. 156-157, 163-164.
1999: Kasfir, S-L., Contemporary African Art, 1999, Thames & Hudson, London, UK. pp. 17. 189.
1999: King, Catherine, ‘Modern Art in Nigeria– Independence and Innovation’, in King, Catherine (ed.), Views of Difference, Different Views of Art, 1999, Yale University Press, London, UK. pp. 215-219.
1998: Oguibe, Olu, ‘Beyond Death and Nothingness’, African Arts, Volume 31 No. 1, 1998, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA. pp. 48-55.
1998: Njami, Simon, ‘Un artiste sur le fil de l’histoire’, in El Anatsui: A Sculpted History of Africa,
1998: Picton, John, ‘Patches of history’ patching up my art history: some reflections on the sculpture of El Anatsui’ inEl Anatsui: A Sculpted History of Africa,1998, Saffron Books, (Imprint of Eastern Art Publishing), in conjunction with the October Gallery, London. pp. 17-26.
1997: Marcoci, Roxana, New Art, 1997, Harry N Abrams Inc., New York, USA.
1996: Container ‘96, København Kulturby Fond ‘96, 1996, Copenhagen, Denmark. pp. 11-12.
1995: Okeke, Chika, ‘The Quest: from Zaria to Nsukka’, in Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa
1994: Okeke, Chika, ‘Slashing Wood, Eroding Culture: Conversation with El Anatsui’, NKA The Journal of Contemporary Africa Art, Issue 1, 1994, Johannesburg, South Africa.
1993: Udechukwu, Obiora, El Anatsui So Far: Drawings, Paintings, Prints, 1963-1993, 1993, Norbert Åas, Boomerang Press,Bayreuth, Germany.
1992: Begegnung Mit Den Anderen (Begin With The Others) , 1992, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
1992: Kennedy, Jean, New Currents, Ancient Rivers: Contemporary African Artists in a Generation of Change, 1992, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC, USA. pp. 17, 19.
1990: Plagens, Peter, ‘Africa meets the West: Three New Exhibitions Capture the Spirit and Struggle of Black Artists on Two Continents’, Newsweek, 19 January 1990, New York, USA.
1990: Wallach, Amei, ‘The New African Tradition’, Newsday, 28 January 1990, New York, USA. pp. 16-17.
1990: Aniakor, C. C., ‘El Anatsui: Visual Incantations’, The International Review of African American Art, Vol 9 No. 3, 1990, Los Angeles, California, USA.
1990: Brenson, Michael, ‘Contemporary Works from Africa’, The New York Times, 19 January 1990, New York, USA. p. 32.
1990: Ejiogu, E. ‘African Art in transition’, African Commentary, Amherst, April 1990, USA. pp. 67-68.
1987: Jegede, Dele, ‘Exploring Patterns and Forms of Nature’, The Guardian (Lagos) , 8 February 1987, Lagos, Nigeria.
1986: Fosu, Kojo, 20th Century Art of Africa, 1986, Gaskiya Corporation, Zaria, Nigeria. pp. 202, 205 and 207-209.
1985: Dwyer, G. ‘A Burly North Sea Symposium: Ten Sculptors Create Works on Germany’s Wet Desert’, International Sculpture, 1985, Washington DC, USA. pp. 8-9.
1982: Anatsui, El, Sculptures, Photographs, and Drawings, Goethe Institute, Lagos, 1982, SNAAP Press, Enugu, Nigeria.