Thursday, December 19, 2013

Matt Noonan - Black River

"Black River" was created by El Antatsui .  He was born in Ghana in 1944.  He made this piece in 2009 with a team of assistants. El Antatsui is known as one of the most exciting artists of artwork anywhere. He and his assistants assembled discarded liquor bottle caps into a metallic tapestry.  I wonder if he was an alcoholic.  The exhibition is devoid of a linking theme, although notions of craft, colonialism, and urban experience chase one another.  I wonder why he chose gold.  To make it look rich or maybe to stand out.  I would like to know why it is called Black River.  I see a few strips of black coming down halfway but it doesn't look like a river.  It also looks like there are mountains or very large rocks or cliffs under the bottle caps.  I also wonder why he edged it so oddly shaped.  I think he was trying to resemble a town , city , state, or even a country.  I find it very strange that this is considered a piece of art.  Some say that the "Black  River" hints at Africa's long history of slavery.  I wonder if this is what this piece is about or something else.  

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