Fold Crumple Crush: The Art of El Anatsui

Filmed over three years in Venice, Nsukka, and the United States, this is a powerful portrait of Africa's most widely acclaimed contemporary artist, El Anatsui. FOLD CRUMPLE CRUSH: THE ART OF EL ANATSUI gives an insider's view of the artist's practice, the ingenious steps and thousands of hours of labor that convert used bottle tops into huge, opulent wall hangings. Here Anatsui explains how his artworks have become a marriage of painting and sculpture, objects that speak of African history but also reach for the ethereal, and he talks about his aspirations for artworks he has yet to make. Behind the charming, easy-going artist, viewers discover a man who remains mysterious even to his dearest friends. The film circles around Anatsui, drawing ever closer to a deep understanding of the man and his surprising bottle top hangings. The celebrated artist is seen installing work on the great world stage of the Venice Biennale; he is followed back to the small town of Nsukka as he goes about his daily life; then he is watched inside the hive of his studio, directing assistants as they stitch together bottle tops into a vast metal hanging. Finally, Anatsui admits viewers to the privacy of his home where he tells us about his formative years, and reveals a youthful discovery that clouded his life.