El Anatsui. “Dusasa I,” (2007). Courtesy the artist and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
In this week’s roundup El Anatsui’s recycled abstraction, Josiah McElheny’s abstract body, Julie Mehretu’s explores drawing as abstraction, and more.
- El Anatsui‘s complex tapestry-like sculpture is on view in the Bloch Lobby at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, MO). Dusasa I debuted at the 2007 Venice Biennale and entered the museum’s collection in early 2008. To construct the piece, Anatsui collected thousands of recycled aluminum liquor-bottle tops and the strips that were tied together using fine copper wire. The title comes from two Ewe words, du and sasa, meaning a fusion of disparate elements on a monumental scale.
- Josiah McElheny‘s new work is on display at White Cube (London). Interactions of the Abstract Body presents a large and varied body of work that looks at how fashion and modernism have intersected and influenced each other through the common language of the body. The gallery features transparent glass reliefs that are partly reflective. Viewers and performers peer into and become reflected in these forms, so that bodies and implied bodies will multiply, creating a complex, intangible sense of space. The exhibition runs through January 12, 2013.
- Julie Mehretu and other artists have work on view at Tate Liverpool. Tracing the Century presents work based on the human body and the inner self, opening up the conversation between figuration and abstraction that characterized art in the 20th century. A sequence of works on paper by Paul Cézanne, Paul Klee, Richard Hamilton, Lee Bontecou and Mehretu proposes drawing as a means of conjuring imaginary worldscapes. This work is on view until January 20, 2013.
- James Turrell leads the way in a collaborative project between Pace London and Cuadro Fine Art (Dubai). The Substance of Light features iconic works by Turrell and other pioneers of the Light and Space movement, which emerged in the United States in the 1960s. Show highlights include the seven reflective holograms made by Turrell between 2006 and 2008, based on his seminal Projection Pieces from the 1960s. The show closes January 6, 2013.
- Allora & Calzadilla celebrate the launch by Kaldor Public Art Projects of Project#26: Allora & Calzadilla’s Stop, Repair, Prepare at the State Library of Victoria (Australia). Their presented works integrate sound, performance and sculpture to create a captivating new experience for audiences. The exhibition runs through December 6. Videos of the artists in preparation for the show can be seen online via ArtInfo.
- Barry McGee‘s conversation with Chris Johanson marks the first time the two artists have gotten together in 12 years. This discussion can be read in its entirety at Paper Magazine.
- Charles Atlas‘s collaboration with Antony and the Johnsons includes a performance of Hope There’s Someone and various conversations featured in the film Turning. A preview can be viewed online.
