WEBVTT

00:00:01.934 --> 00:00:04.299
)
[group speaking Italian]

00:00:04.300 --> 00:00:05.233
heh, heh...heh

00:00:05.234 --> 00:00:08.132
(woman)
He wants to take it home.

00:00:08.133 --> 00:00:08.967
Home?

00:00:08.968 --> 00:00:11.165
Yeah, he likes
it very much.

00:00:11.166 --> 00:00:12.100
OK.

00:00:12.101 --> 00:00:13.833
OK, If he
can carry it.

00:00:13.834 --> 00:00:15.899
[woman speaking
Italian]

00:00:15.900 --> 00:00:18.099
How long
did it take
to do that?

00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.099
Oh, a lot of time
and a lot people.

00:00:21.100 --> 00:00:23.266
[group speaking Italian]

00:00:25.834 --> 00:00:29.833
And then everybody
went crazy
after doing that.

00:00:29.834 --> 00:00:31.299
(artist)
Yeah, actually.

00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:32.866
[woman chuckling]
Yes!

00:00:32.867 --> 00:00:35.433
[both laughing]

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[gravel crunching]

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[violin and drumming
arrangement]

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♪

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[motorcycle approaches]

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[string section
leads drumming]

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♪

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♪

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♪

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[metallic rustling]

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♪

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♪

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[clattering]

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[workers speaking Italian]

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[sparse orchestral
arrangement]

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♪

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♪

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[motors whining]

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♪

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Up.

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They have to raise
the whole thing, and--

00:02:43.734 --> 00:02:46.999
[speaking
Italian]

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How much?

00:02:48.133 --> 00:02:50.499
I\'ll tell them
when it\'s right.

00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:53.667
[speaking Italian]

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(woman)
Pocois a little.

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(Anatsui)
Poco su.

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I did Latin in school.

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\'K!

00:03:04.067 --> 00:03:05.466
(woman)
OK, like that?

00:03:05.467 --> 00:03:06.933
(Anatsui)
Yeah, this one

00:03:06.934 --> 00:03:09.165
should come down
a little bit.

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[group speaking Italian]

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[lurching string
and drum score]

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♪

00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:23.466
My idea initially was
that I was doing sculpture,

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sculpture that is so free

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that you can change its form
in any way.

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You know,
you can contract it.

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You can expand it.

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You know,
you can shape it in any way.

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♪

00:03:42.533 --> 00:03:43.933
[metallic rustling]

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I don\'t believe in artworks
being things that are fixed.

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[clattering and shuffling]

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♪

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[speaking Italian]

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[electric motor whining]

00:04:03.033 --> 00:04:05.232
(Anatsui)
The work is now a marriage

00:04:05.233 --> 00:04:09.032
between painting
and, uh, sculpture.

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Put here; put here.

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[drill buzzing]

00:04:16.367 --> 00:04:18.934
[indistinct talking]

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[whistling]

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[speaking Italian indistinctly]

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[drill buzzing]

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[drill buzzing]

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Grazie.

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Arrivederci.

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[mysterious string and drum
arrangement]

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♪

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♪

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Pull it--
pull it up.

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♪

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No, no, from--
Aha! Aha!

00:05:13.133 --> 00:05:16.033
[woman speaking Italian]

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(Anatsui)
Hold it on like that.

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[speaking
Italian]

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♪

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You see
the vertical fold there?

00:05:27.767 --> 00:05:28.333
(woman)
Yes.

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(Anatsui)
If they can remove
that vertical fold--

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♪

00:05:36.433 --> 00:05:39.933
Gradually, my tendency
would be to work in things

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which are abstract and--
and pure.

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♪

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I don\'t know if I\'m looking
for something ethereal.

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♪

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This is my first time
I\'m seeing it in full view.

00:06:01.934 --> 00:06:02.400
Yeah.

00:06:02.401 --> 00:06:05.366
(man)
And is it what you
expected to see?

00:06:05.367 --> 00:06:07.866
(Anatsui)
Eh, well, yeah, a bit off--

00:06:07.867 --> 00:06:10.767
yeah, it\'s a bit off.

00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:15.500
I\'m having
a change of mind.

00:06:17.767 --> 00:06:20.133
[buzzing]

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[clattering]

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Yeah, OK.

00:06:29.433 --> 00:06:33.099
[distant Italian
conversations]

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♪

00:06:39.467 --> 00:06:42.265
(woman)
But do you like
the shadows like that?

00:06:42.266 --> 00:06:43.466
Yeah, the
shadows are OK.

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I wish they could
be a bit stronger,
you know.

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♪

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[indistinct talking]

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♪

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(Anatsui)
Maybe we close for today
and, uh, resume tomorrow.

00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:00.734
Yeah, and go
to the other site.

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[thick, quick piano chords]

00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:15.532
♪

00:07:15.533 --> 00:07:16.933
(man)
El, are you worried

00:07:16.934 --> 00:07:19.265
about following up
your great success?

00:07:19.266 --> 00:07:21.299
Are you nervous about that?

00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:24.766
Uh, not--
I don\'t think I\'m nervous.

00:07:24.767 --> 00:07:27.032
I don\'t think
it\'s a sudden thing.

00:07:27.033 --> 00:07:29.265
(man)
But you\'re big now.

00:07:29.266 --> 00:07:30.366
I--I don\'t know.

00:07:30.367 --> 00:07:31.599
I don\'t know about that--
heh, hah!

00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:34.933
(woman #2)
The biennale--there\'s nothing
really like it.

00:07:34.934 --> 00:07:37.599
Venice, you know,
gives you the world, uh.

00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:39.632
Maybe I\'ll think
about it for some time

00:07:39.633 --> 00:07:42.933
and give you some answer--
hah, hah...hah!

00:07:42.934 --> 00:07:45.499
[weaving piano melodies]

00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:53.332
♪

00:07:53.333 --> 00:07:55.933
If you--if you leave
your country,

00:07:55.934 --> 00:08:00.733
you develop a kind
of a nomadic mentality

00:08:00.734 --> 00:08:04.366
and mentality
which wants you

00:08:04.367 --> 00:08:05.866
to, uh...

00:08:05.867 --> 00:08:08.799
be roaming about,
you know.

00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:13.766
♪

00:08:13.767 --> 00:08:15.566
If I had lived in Ghana,

00:08:15.567 --> 00:08:18.466
my mind wouldn\'t have roamed,
you know.

00:08:18.467 --> 00:08:21.899
Therefore,
I wouldn\'t have expanded, uh,

00:08:21.900 --> 00:08:23.766
my experiences

00:08:23.767 --> 00:08:27.066
or I\'d been too comfortable.

00:08:29.066 --> 00:08:32.299
[piano leads
dissonant jazz tune]

00:08:32.300 --> 00:08:46.299
♪

00:08:46.300 --> 00:08:50.632
♪

00:08:50.633 --> 00:08:55.165
Geography and all those things
don\'t count very much

00:08:55.166 --> 00:08:58.699
in my scheme of things,
you know.

00:08:58.700 --> 00:09:00.065
♪

00:09:00.066 --> 00:09:02.399
And I think
the most important thing

00:09:02.400 --> 00:09:07.532
is that one is able to--
to reach or communicate.

00:09:07.533 --> 00:09:13.265
♪

00:09:13.266 --> 00:09:15.499
I think people
want to use geography

00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:19.132
to see whether
they can understand you

00:09:19.133 --> 00:09:21.933
or, you know,
that kind of thing.

00:09:21.934 --> 00:09:25.232
That is why I\'m sure
the art historians

00:09:25.233 --> 00:09:27.866
and the anthropologists
would be...

00:09:27.867 --> 00:09:30.899
classifying people
by geography, you know, or--

00:09:30.900 --> 00:09:34.532
or by ethnic group
or such things.

00:09:34.533 --> 00:09:45.632
♪

00:09:45.633 --> 00:09:48.366
You go around,
and you see very ambitious

00:09:48.367 --> 00:09:52.599
and very moving works
by other artists and, uh,

00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:54.799
you want to be able
to have your works

00:09:54.800 --> 00:09:59.999
have that level of intensity
and communication, you know.

00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.933
There will always be
people or works

00:10:02.934 --> 00:10:04.099
that make you feel

00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:08.199
like you haven\'t, uh,
gotten there yet.

00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:14.733
♪

00:10:14.734 --> 00:10:17.300
[indistinct talking]

00:10:17.767 --> 00:10:20.667
I like architecture
showing through.

00:10:24.734 --> 00:10:27.966
[piano and horns
lead peppy drumming]

00:10:27.967 --> 00:10:41.966
♪

00:10:41.967 --> 00:10:53.232
♪

00:10:53.233 --> 00:10:55.332
(man)
And I have
the feeling

00:10:55.333 --> 00:10:57.399
as if this is already, uh,

00:10:57.400 --> 00:10:59.366
a hundred years hanging here.

00:10:59.367 --> 00:11:00.899
heh, heh, heh

00:11:00.900 --> 00:11:02.132
That it is a time--

00:11:02.133 --> 00:11:05.866
Yeah, it\'s new
and old at the same time.

00:11:05.867 --> 00:11:17.065
♪

00:11:17.066 --> 00:11:20.165
(man)
El, if you wouldn\'t
have become an artist,

00:11:20.166 --> 00:11:23.567
what do you think
you would have done?

00:11:25.300 --> 00:11:26.666
I don\'t know.

00:11:26.667 --> 00:11:27.899
Heh, heh...heh--

00:11:27.900 --> 00:11:29.999
I don\'t know--heh, heh!

00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:44.466
♪

00:11:44.467 --> 00:11:59.299
♪

00:11:59.300 --> 00:12:08.499
♪

00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:12.299
Well, I wouldn\'t say
my expectations are yet met.

00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:15.065
I want to be able
to get to that level

00:12:15.066 --> 00:12:17.799
where the works
will really move people.

00:12:17.800 --> 00:12:21.666
I think what they do now
is to wonder at the work.

00:12:21.667 --> 00:12:24.132
I don\'t know
if it moves them.

00:12:24.133 --> 00:12:27.766
I haven\'t gotten there yet...

00:12:27.767 --> 00:12:29.999
so there\'s room.

00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:38.432
♪

00:12:38.433 --> 00:12:40.900
[gravel crunching]

00:12:42.900 --> 00:12:45.065
In my career so far,

00:12:45.066 --> 00:12:48.666
I\'m described
as Nigerian or Ghanaian,

00:12:48.667 --> 00:12:52.899
or they say,
Ghanaian living in Nigeria.

00:12:52.900 --> 00:12:55.899
[conga drum beating]

00:12:55.900 --> 00:12:57.232
Yeah, I think home

00:12:57.233 --> 00:12:58.966
is basically
a psychological place--

00:12:58.967 --> 00:13:02.866
not a--a physical one
that all of us carry.

00:13:02.867 --> 00:13:08.666
♪

00:13:08.667 --> 00:13:12.833
But Nsukka,
after 32 years,

00:13:12.834 --> 00:13:16.366
is almost a home.

00:13:16.367 --> 00:13:19.999
♪

00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.833
It\'s more a home
than anywhere else for now...

00:13:24.834 --> 00:13:27.366
in the sense that
that is where

00:13:27.367 --> 00:13:30.667
I have most of my friends.

00:13:31.967 --> 00:13:35.566
You know, and any time
I go back to Ghana,

00:13:35.567 --> 00:13:36.999
I visit Ghana, it\'s--

00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:41.166
it looks a bit strange,
you know, to me.

00:13:43.900 --> 00:13:46.899
I think Nsukka people
know that I\'m from Ghana.

00:13:46.900 --> 00:13:48.733
[chuckling]
Yeah, they know.

00:13:48.734 --> 00:13:51.266
[motorcycle noise]

00:14:09.433 --> 00:14:11.999
(man)
El came here as, uh, somebody

00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:13.599
who was already made

00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:16.799
because he did
a first degree in Ghana--

00:14:16.800 --> 00:14:18.532
did a master\'s in Ghana,

00:14:18.533 --> 00:14:22.799
and so I would think
that what...

00:14:22.800 --> 00:14:26.332
motivates him,
what moves his art

00:14:26.333 --> 00:14:29.899
has to be from that background
somewhere in Ghana,

00:14:29.900 --> 00:14:34.999
which I think he has kept away
from most of us.

00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.099
(Anatsui)
nAre you very busy?

00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:39.332
OK, you will
do this for me.

00:14:39.333 --> 00:14:41.867
You sew
this together.

00:14:42.667 --> 00:14:45.766
(Onyegegbu)
El is a unique individual...

00:14:45.767 --> 00:14:48.933
talented individual...

00:14:48.934 --> 00:14:50.833
a private person.

00:14:50.834 --> 00:14:54.399
I don\'t know whether
I should saybutprivate

00:14:54.400 --> 00:14:55.699
orandprivate.

00:14:55.700 --> 00:14:57.332
I don\'t know which one.

00:14:57.333 --> 00:14:59.467
[motorcycle noise]

00:14:59.900 --> 00:15:01.666
You hardly hear
about his family,

00:15:01.667 --> 00:15:05.366
and it\'s something most of us
have asked about, uh,

00:15:05.367 --> 00:15:07.432
fortunately,
not asking him directly,

00:15:07.433 --> 00:15:11.799
but \"talked about\"
maybe is a better word.

00:15:11.800 --> 00:15:14.032
[horn blaring distantly]

00:15:14.033 --> 00:15:17.099
We even wonder whether
he was married in Ghana,

00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:20.066
had children, and, uh...

00:15:20.900 --> 00:15:22.566
we don\'t know.

00:15:22.567 --> 00:15:25.100
[indistinct talking]

00:15:26.533 --> 00:15:29.200
You see...

00:15:34.800 --> 00:15:37.333
[motorcycle noise]

00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:49.333
[indistinct talking]

00:16:20.767 --> 00:16:24.265
(Onyegegbu)
He--he has a very
controlled temper,

00:16:24.266 --> 00:16:28.566
so you\'ll never see
El up--upset.

00:16:28.567 --> 00:16:29.866
(Anatsui)
Six one.

00:16:29.867 --> 00:16:31.766
(Onyegegbu)
He\'s worked himself

00:16:31.767 --> 00:16:35.867
into a position
where nothing upsets him.

00:16:38.333 --> 00:16:39.632
That\'s yours.

00:16:39.633 --> 00:16:41.766
[woman and Anatsui laughing]

00:16:41.767 --> 00:16:45.599
(Onyegegbu)
And of course, when you have
that kind of temper,

00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:47.666
it will also go the other way.

00:16:47.667 --> 00:16:52.100
So what excites you
will be reduced.

00:16:53.900 --> 00:16:56.700
[cars passing]

00:17:09.066 --> 00:17:11.099
(Oloidi)
In Europe and in America,

00:17:11.100 --> 00:17:14.099
the artistic language
was already there,

00:17:14.100 --> 00:17:17.265
but in Nigeria,
it was not there.

00:17:17.266 --> 00:17:22.766
And it was through somebody
like El that\'s--

00:17:22.767 --> 00:17:27.032
that new art culture
started being appreciated,

00:17:27.033 --> 00:17:29.834
and that is a fact!

00:17:30.033 --> 00:17:35.866
More than any artist
in Nigeria, it was El--

00:17:35.867 --> 00:17:40.966
El, who not only embodied
but championed,

00:17:40.967 --> 00:17:43.966
without knowing
that he was championing it,

00:17:43.967 --> 00:17:51.799
these new radical...
postmodernist...affirmations

00:17:51.800 --> 00:17:53.899
in Nigeria today.

00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:54.933
Yeah?

00:17:54.934 --> 00:17:57.132
Yeah, can I have
30 minutes?

00:17:57.133 --> 00:17:58.666
All right.

00:17:58.667 --> 00:17:59.999
This one?

00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:01.399
Yeah.

00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:04.000
[indistinct
talking]

00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.532
(woman)
If the sun comes up

00:18:23.533 --> 00:18:24.899
and there are no clouds,

00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:27.265
I like to do the
first morning light.

00:18:27.266 --> 00:18:28.499
(Anatsui)
nOK.

00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:29.599
What time is it? Heh!

00:18:29.600 --> 00:18:33.833
(Anatsui)
Uh, first morning
ncould be like 7:30.

00:18:33.834 --> 00:18:37.899
[wandering jazz bass
leads echoing percussion]

00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:44.332
♪

00:18:44.333 --> 00:18:46.666
(Bieber)
I\'ll do some
with the background.

00:18:46.667 --> 00:18:47.933
I\'ll do some cropped.

00:18:47.934 --> 00:18:50.065
I\'ll do some
with you further back,

00:18:50.066 --> 00:18:51.733
to the side, forward.

00:18:51.734 --> 00:18:52.500
Uh-huh.

00:18:52.501 --> 00:18:54.799
So the only thing
I need you to do

00:18:54.800 --> 00:18:58.099
is just move around
and not be too bored.

00:18:58.100 --> 00:19:00.299
Heh, heh...heh!

00:19:00.300 --> 00:19:01.332
OK.

00:19:01.333 --> 00:19:04.232
[droning horns
lead bass and shakers]

00:19:04.233 --> 00:19:06.099
♪

00:19:06.100 --> 00:19:10.666
(man)
When I think of El,
I see a deep gap,

00:19:10.667 --> 00:19:15.566
a big gap in between him
and the people I see around me.

00:19:15.567 --> 00:19:18.099
He\'s absolutely
a different man.

00:19:18.100 --> 00:19:19.866
He don\'t think
the way we think.

00:19:19.867 --> 00:19:21.866
He don\'t reason
the way we reason.

00:19:21.867 --> 00:19:25.065
[wandering jazz bass
leads echoing percussion]

00:19:25.066 --> 00:19:33.000
♪

00:19:33.633 --> 00:19:36.133
(man)
He\'s modest.

00:19:36.266 --> 00:19:41.165
He\'s being down to earth...
irrespective of his status.

00:19:41.166 --> 00:19:43.132
He\'s composed...

00:19:43.133 --> 00:19:46.132
and, uh,
knows his focus

00:19:46.133 --> 00:19:50.199
and knows the best way
to get to his focus.

00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:52.999
[glass bottle percussion
supports jazz combo]

00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:59.799
♪

00:19:59.800 --> 00:20:02.199
[woodwind harmonies join]

00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:04.666
♪

00:20:04.667 --> 00:20:07.499
(Ozioko)
El is a disciplined man.

00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:08.966
I--I can testify that.

00:20:08.967 --> 00:20:11.766
There was a day
I did something that was wrong.

00:20:11.767 --> 00:20:15.032
I was kind of suspended,
and I learned from it.

00:20:15.033 --> 00:20:18.899
I went home; I was thinking,
man, I acted foolishly,

00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:21.966
but I didn\'t--
I learned, and I was happy.

00:20:21.967 --> 00:20:23.999
He\'s just like a father to me.

00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.766
I don\'t know about others.

00:20:25.767 --> 00:20:28.599
[wandering bass solo]

00:20:28.600 --> 00:20:35.065
♪

00:20:35.066 --> 00:20:37.265
(man)
He\'s not the kind
of person

00:20:37.266 --> 00:20:41.533
that enjoys
loud music.

00:20:58.300 --> 00:20:59.833
But he\'s cool.

00:20:59.834 --> 00:21:03.265
[droning woodwinds
support bass solo]

00:21:03.266 --> 00:21:10.499
♪

00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:13.866
[dark horns chords rise]

00:21:13.867 --> 00:21:27.866
♪

00:21:27.867 --> 00:21:33.033
♪

00:21:37.266 --> 00:21:38.733
(Anatsui)
Yeah, I\'m an artist

00:21:38.734 --> 00:21:41.499
who is given to working
with material

00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:43.499
in my environment, and, uh,

00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:45.232
I found this bag, you know,

00:21:45.233 --> 00:21:48.399
a curious bag
in the bushes there,

00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:50.733
and, uh, went and opened it,

00:21:50.734 --> 00:21:55.399
this, uh, bag containing
these, uh, bottle caps.

00:21:55.400 --> 00:21:59.699
So this is where I saw
the first, you know,

00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:01.466
bag of, uh,
bottle tops.

00:22:01.467 --> 00:22:03.933
And do you think these
caps that are here

00:22:03.934 --> 00:22:06.566
could be remainders of those--
those very bags?

00:22:06.567 --> 00:22:08.332
It--it looks
like, uh,

00:22:08.333 --> 00:22:10.833
it\'s from the same distiller.

00:22:10.834 --> 00:22:13.366
When I started working
with the caps

00:22:13.367 --> 00:22:14.999
and thought
I needed more,

00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:17.165
I had to come here
and ask people,

00:22:17.166 --> 00:22:18.632
who had been
throwing these here?

00:22:18.633 --> 00:22:21.399
I thought they
would throw more
here--hah, hah!

00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:23.065
You were hoping
you would have

00:22:23.066 --> 00:22:25.132
a regular supply
in the same spot.

00:22:25.133 --> 00:22:26.299
(Anatsui)
eh, heh

00:22:26.300 --> 00:22:29.767
So that\'s how, uh,
it all started.

00:22:30.567 --> 00:22:33.033
[women laughing]

00:22:35.533 --> 00:22:38.666
(Worth)
How many brands
or kinds of liquor

00:22:38.667 --> 00:22:40.466
do you distill here?

00:22:40.467 --> 00:22:43.432
Like, rum, gin,
vodka, all?

00:22:43.433 --> 00:22:45.032
(distiller)
Mainly gin.

00:22:45.033 --> 00:22:46.599
(Anatsui)
Oh, gin--ah.

00:22:46.600 --> 00:22:48.834
Gin, uh,
and brandy.

00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:53.099
(Anatsui)
It looks like they bring
the bottles here complete,

00:22:53.100 --> 00:22:55.199
and then
they remove the caps.

00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:57.600
(man)
Here.

00:22:58.467 --> 00:23:00.867
[clattering]

00:23:05.266 --> 00:23:07.100
hmm

00:23:12.133 --> 00:23:14.666
(Anatsui)
Apart from me--
I buy from you--

00:23:14.667 --> 00:23:18.199
there are some other people
who buy these from you?

00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:19.866
(distiller)

00:23:19.867 --> 00:23:22.332
(woman)
What do they do with them?

00:23:22.333 --> 00:23:24.934
What do they use them for?

00:23:26.834 --> 00:23:27.999
Aluminum.

00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:29.366
They smelt it...

00:23:29.367 --> 00:23:30.666
They\'ll melt it.

00:23:30.667 --> 00:23:32.533
...ah, to make pots.

00:23:38.066 --> 00:23:41.166
(distiller)

00:23:45.467 --> 00:23:46.566
That\'s it.

00:23:46.567 --> 00:23:48.499
Thank you;
thank you.

00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:51.533
[engines humming]

00:23:56.100 --> 00:23:58.632
(Anatsui)
One thing that I\'ve grown into

00:23:58.633 --> 00:24:01.265
is working with things

00:24:01.266 --> 00:24:04.032
which have been used before,

00:24:04.033 --> 00:24:07.532
things which
link people together.

00:24:07.533 --> 00:24:09.733
Well, I don\'t know
about DNA,

00:24:09.734 --> 00:24:10.833
but then--
heh, heh--

00:24:10.834 --> 00:24:13.265
Well, I know that if you
touch something,

00:24:13.266 --> 00:24:14.933
you leave a charge on it,

00:24:14.934 --> 00:24:18.466
and anybody that\'s
touching it connects you--

00:24:18.467 --> 00:24:21.532
with you in a--
in a way, you know.

00:24:21.533 --> 00:24:25.432
And the fact that anything
that will be used by humans

00:24:25.433 --> 00:24:29.599
has a history,
so those properties, I think,

00:24:29.600 --> 00:24:35.200
help whatever I do
to gain some, uh, meaning.

00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:38.699
[indistinct talking]

00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:40.132
Hi, my friend.

00:24:40.133 --> 00:24:41.432
Ah, welcome.

00:24:41.433 --> 00:24:42.833
Are you done?

00:24:42.834 --> 00:24:45.299
So these are, uh, the--
the caps,

00:24:45.300 --> 00:24:46.766
and then these
are the--you--

00:24:46.767 --> 00:24:49.065
you brought your knife
to remove it.

00:24:49.066 --> 00:24:50.566
OK, there\'s
a big difference.

00:24:50.567 --> 00:24:53.933
I started working with him
as an undergraduate student,

00:24:53.934 --> 00:24:57.999
and El advised us
to use cheap medium

00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:01.899
because by using cheap medium,
you are freer.

00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:06.099
Like when you use material
that is expensive like gold,

00:25:06.100 --> 00:25:09.432
it tends to restrict
the size of the work

00:25:09.433 --> 00:25:11.399
and you tend to economize,

00:25:11.400 --> 00:25:14.099
but when you use cheap medium,
you are freer.

00:25:14.100 --> 00:25:15.933
You express yourself better,

00:25:15.934 --> 00:25:17.966
and the work sometimes--

00:25:17.967 --> 00:25:21.265
the size are intimidating.

00:25:21.266 --> 00:25:24.065
(Anatsui)
hm

00:25:24.066 --> 00:25:26.566
Yeah,
no, no, no.

00:25:26.567 --> 00:25:28.632
heh, heh...heh

00:25:28.633 --> 00:25:31.100
[clattering]

00:25:35.867 --> 00:25:38.367
[motorcycle approaching]

00:25:46.934 --> 00:25:49.033
What\'s the problem?

00:25:54.867 --> 00:25:58.433
(Anatsui)
OK, let\'s start from 500.

00:25:59.967 --> 00:26:02.867
[engine noises]

00:26:06.767 --> 00:26:10.800
Load it straight
into the van, and we go.

00:26:12.066 --> 00:26:14.533
[car honking]

00:26:17.266 --> 00:26:19.666
[conga drum groove]

00:26:19.667 --> 00:26:20.966
♪

00:26:20.967 --> 00:26:23.566
I think art is something
that you actually,

00:26:23.567 --> 00:26:25.933
if you are in it,
you don\'t know

00:26:25.934 --> 00:26:30.199
or you\'re not conscious
of yourself as an artist.

00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:32.165
♪

00:26:32.166 --> 00:26:34.432
There are times I have doubts

00:26:34.433 --> 00:26:37.999
whether it is art or--
or even what art is.

00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:41.933
So it\'s very difficult thing,
you know.

00:26:41.934 --> 00:26:43.999
♪

00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:46.432
[motorcycle buzzing]

00:26:46.433 --> 00:26:50.733
♪

00:26:50.734 --> 00:26:53.366
[shrill horns
join conga drums]

00:26:53.367 --> 00:27:05.999
♪

00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:13.132
♪

00:27:13.133 --> 00:27:15.567
[men grunting]

00:27:19.066 --> 00:27:21.366
[speaking indistinctly]

00:27:21.367 --> 00:27:26.999
♪

00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:30.032
[bass guitar
introduces upbeat groove]

00:27:30.033 --> 00:27:42.032
♪

00:27:42.033 --> 00:27:54.099
♪

00:27:54.100 --> 00:28:00.966
♪

00:28:00.967 --> 00:28:03.266
[crinkling]

00:28:26.967 --> 00:28:29.667
[clinking]

00:28:42.900 --> 00:28:47.467
So the processes
are so long.

00:28:51.567 --> 00:28:53.132
nThis is designer one.

00:28:53.133 --> 00:28:55.432
nThis can take you

00:28:55.433 --> 00:28:58.566
nthe whole day to make.

00:28:58.567 --> 00:28:59.632
You understand?

00:28:59.633 --> 00:29:02.933
It is 25 in number,
and that 25 in number

00:29:02.934 --> 00:29:06.332
goes with ten lines--
one, three, four, five,

00:29:06.333 --> 00:29:08.132
six, seven,
eight, nine, ten.

00:29:08.133 --> 00:29:12.866
Twenty-five, ten gives you
a number of a block.

00:29:12.867 --> 00:29:15.132
Or sometimes
he will ask everybody

00:29:15.133 --> 00:29:18.265
to do a particular one--

00:29:18.266 --> 00:29:18.767
everybody.

00:29:18.768 --> 00:29:22.599
He can come around sometime
and say I want every of you

00:29:22.600 --> 00:29:24.733
to gather this 2 or 3...

00:29:24.734 --> 00:29:26.632
or 20 of them.

00:29:26.633 --> 00:29:29.033
n(Ozioko)

00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:37.300
[banging]

00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:56.900
[clattering]

00:29:57.467 --> 00:30:00.867
(Anatsui)
Now, you have to...

00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:26.266
(Ozioko)
And this is silver.

00:30:50.633 --> 00:30:52.566
n(Ozioko)

00:30:52.567 --> 00:30:55.200
[clattering]

00:30:59.734 --> 00:31:02.433
[men speaking indistinctly]

00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:07.265
[intermittent banging,
tapping, and crumpling]

00:31:07.266 --> 00:31:10.200
[indistinct background
conversations]

00:32:00.600 --> 00:32:04.499
This one
is plain as well,

00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:06.766
but this is a long one,

00:32:06.767 --> 00:32:10.933
and this is color--
nred mixed with black.

00:32:10.934 --> 00:32:12.833
nThis one is...

00:32:12.834 --> 00:32:14.232
[metallic rustling]

00:32:14.233 --> 00:32:16.199
nfour corner with holes,

00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:18.834
four corner without hole.

00:32:20.600 --> 00:32:23.200
[speaking indistinctly]

00:32:50.900 --> 00:32:52.432
nWorking with different colors,

00:32:52.433 --> 00:32:53.966
maybe yellow,
nblack, and red--

00:32:53.967 --> 00:32:57.366
using it together
nis something good.

00:32:57.367 --> 00:32:58.100
I like it.

00:32:58.101 --> 00:33:01.165
If I am permitted,
I often go home with some

00:33:01.166 --> 00:33:03.999
\'cause I would like
to have it.

00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:06.366
And this one is a chain.

00:33:06.367 --> 00:33:09.366
If you take
the full--

00:33:09.367 --> 00:33:13.165
this can take
a long time to make...

00:33:13.166 --> 00:33:15.366
because it depends
how you--

00:33:15.367 --> 00:33:17.399
how you did
your work well.

00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:22.032
If you do--if you do rubbish,
he penalize you.

00:33:22.033 --> 00:33:24.400
[clattering]

00:33:27.867 --> 00:33:30.700
(Anatsui)
And--and put G-8.

00:33:31.567 --> 00:33:33.866
[metallic rustling]

00:33:33.867 --> 00:33:37.432
You do it
from here now.

00:33:37.433 --> 00:33:39.199
Then you put
another one here

00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:41.933
and then one here
by the end.

00:33:41.934 --> 00:33:46.165
Then you arrange
more of it that side.

00:33:46.166 --> 00:33:48.432
No, no--back--
back a little.

00:33:48.433 --> 00:33:50.366
Yep, OK.

00:33:50.367 --> 00:33:52.767
OK, go on.

00:33:53.867 --> 00:33:56.132
OK, put one there--

00:33:56.133 --> 00:33:59.065
no, in between them.

00:33:59.066 --> 00:34:01.633
Yeah, uh-huh.

00:34:03.633 --> 00:34:07.065
Let\'s have a round--
nround--

00:34:07.066 --> 00:34:08.432
all colors.

00:34:08.433 --> 00:34:12.366
Yeah, arrange it this way
and that way too.

00:34:12.367 --> 00:34:14.900
[metallic rustling]

00:34:15.300 --> 00:34:17.265
You can--
you can let it overlap

00:34:17.266 --> 00:34:21.699
so that you don\'t see
the gaps there.

00:34:21.700 --> 00:34:23.800
mm-hm

00:34:24.867 --> 00:34:26.165
Wait, wait, wait--
let me--

00:34:26.166 --> 00:34:30.533
let me indicate the area
that you\'re gonna take.

00:34:36.734 --> 00:34:38.199
It comes here

00:34:38.200 --> 00:34:40.466
and then goes down
straight--straight.

00:34:40.467 --> 00:34:42.766
It means this one
is going in.

00:34:42.767 --> 00:34:45.367
[metallic rustling]

00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:56.699
Now let\'s see if we can
select colors along there--

00:34:56.700 --> 00:34:58.633
not mixed.

00:35:15.266 --> 00:35:20.632
We try to build a--
a line this way

00:35:20.633 --> 00:35:23.767
and another line
that way.

00:35:24.700 --> 00:35:26.132
Big gap.

00:35:26.133 --> 00:35:28.266
[metallic rustling]

00:35:29.533 --> 00:35:31.367
Yeah.

00:35:34.700 --> 00:35:36.799
Do we have
any black?

00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:39.333
Anything black?

00:35:39.934 --> 00:35:44.867
Uh...black plain,
black round, black--

00:35:46.734 --> 00:35:48.099
Listen, you can put--

00:35:48.100 --> 00:35:51.232
on top here,
you can put these ones

00:35:51.233 --> 00:35:55.166
between this and that,
you know.

00:35:56.033 --> 00:35:58.366
And then--
and then you cut this

00:35:58.367 --> 00:36:02.065
and arrange them here, uh...

00:36:02.066 --> 00:36:04.700
to come as far as here.

00:36:08.333 --> 00:36:10.100
Red.

00:36:10.700 --> 00:36:13.099
Red, red,
red, red, red.

00:36:13.100 --> 00:36:16.966
Uh...yeah,
plain will be OK.

00:36:16.967 --> 00:36:22.333
We wanna be able
to put it here to fill this.

00:36:23.100 --> 00:36:25.966
Or do it--wait, wait, wait;
maybe we\'ll put yellow--

00:36:25.967 --> 00:36:28.899
yellow here,
and then red can be here.

00:36:28.900 --> 00:36:33.000
So...we\'ll have
to cut this.

00:36:33.900 --> 00:36:37.834
Aha! Now you cut
the yellow so that it--

00:36:41.033 --> 00:36:45.266
Start putting these--
those blacks in there.

00:36:45.734 --> 00:36:48.767
Let\'s see
how it fills in there.

00:36:54.600 --> 00:36:57.000
[clattering]

00:36:58.100 --> 00:37:00.967
Remove this yellow.

00:37:04.200 --> 00:37:06.599
Then we\'ll bring
this together--

00:37:06.600 --> 00:37:09.200
this and that together.

00:37:12.300 --> 00:37:14.333
[metallic rustling]

00:37:16.200 --> 00:37:18.165
With the bottle caps now,

00:37:18.166 --> 00:37:19.833
I don\'t, uh,
do any drawing.

00:37:19.834 --> 00:37:24.866
You might be making yourself
a slave to an idea, you know,

00:37:24.867 --> 00:37:27.199
but I want to enjoy
the freedom

00:37:27.200 --> 00:37:29.232
of shifting things around

00:37:29.233 --> 00:37:31.834
till I say, \"OK, right.\"

00:37:33.800 --> 00:37:35.834
hmm

00:37:37.867 --> 00:37:41.966
The crumpled--
more crumpled this way.

00:37:41.967 --> 00:37:44.100
[clattering]

00:37:49.633 --> 00:37:51.966
In--initially, my idea

00:37:51.967 --> 00:37:55.599
wasn\'t that I was
doing something

00:37:55.600 --> 00:37:59.599
close to painting
or related to painting.

00:37:59.600 --> 00:38:03.432
As time went on, I saw
that there were elements

00:38:03.433 --> 00:38:04.632
that I was ignoring,

00:38:04.633 --> 00:38:07.165
like the colors
of the various caps.

00:38:07.166 --> 00:38:08.466
The red, the black,

00:38:08.467 --> 00:38:11.532
the whites,
yellows were all there,

00:38:11.533 --> 00:38:16.666
so I started being conscious
of them as well.

00:38:16.667 --> 00:38:19.734
[background conversations]

00:38:24.500 --> 00:38:27.033
[metallic rustling]

00:38:27.300 --> 00:38:32.065
Oh, I think the whole thing
is looking too busy.

00:38:32.066 --> 00:38:34.000
[clattering]

00:38:36.367 --> 00:38:38.899
(woman)
How close is this
to what you want?

00:38:38.900 --> 00:38:41.866
(Anatsui)
Well, like maybe 40%.

00:38:41.867 --> 00:38:43.132
(woman)
Forty?

00:38:43.133 --> 00:38:45.700
[chuckling]
Yeah!

00:38:53.433 --> 00:38:56.099
Beginning of an idea,

00:38:56.100 --> 00:38:58.366
and we\'ll
keep shifting

00:38:58.367 --> 00:39:01.132
and, uh, adjusting

00:39:01.133 --> 00:39:04.733
until, uh,
it feels right.

00:39:04.734 --> 00:39:08.799
This particular one I feel
is a bit on the busy side,

00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:13.566
so I\'ll have to think, uh,
by studying it on the--

00:39:13.567 --> 00:39:15.699
on the computer

00:39:15.700 --> 00:39:19.132
and seeing what
the whole thing looks like

00:39:19.133 --> 00:39:21.366
and then, uh,
adjusting it.

00:39:21.367 --> 00:39:23.899
We\'ll keep working on it
on the floor here

00:39:23.900 --> 00:39:25.532
until, uh--
until it\'s right.

00:39:25.533 --> 00:39:29.099
Then we now put them together
into one piece.

00:39:29.100 --> 00:39:32.300
[indistinct talking]

00:39:32.900 --> 00:39:34.999
A typical piece could take

00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:38.633
two, three months,
you know.

00:39:39.400 --> 00:39:41.132
[shutter snapping]

00:39:41.133 --> 00:39:43.966
The joining,
it takes a long time

00:39:43.967 --> 00:39:45.999
for you to finish it

00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:47.733
as most hard work does.

00:39:47.734 --> 00:39:52.500
It takes months
just to make it perfect.

00:39:54.934 --> 00:39:56.999
[conga drum groove]

00:39:57.000 --> 00:40:00.899
(Anatsui)
When I got to my 40s
and 50s and--

00:40:00.900 --> 00:40:02.399
and wasn\'t still interested

00:40:02.400 --> 00:40:06.399
in the--the regular marriage,
you know,

00:40:06.400 --> 00:40:10.199
I thought that
I\'ve got my partner in art

00:40:10.200 --> 00:40:14.499
and, uh, wouldn\'t need
an extraneous one.

00:40:14.500 --> 00:40:17.600
So the artworks are...

00:40:18.400 --> 00:40:20.632
the children.

00:40:20.633 --> 00:40:25.232
♪

00:40:25.233 --> 00:40:27.967
[indistinct TV conversations]

00:40:29.800 --> 00:40:32.799
I\'m more at home on my own.

00:40:32.800 --> 00:40:36.466
[chuckling]
Yeah, that--that much I know.

00:40:36.467 --> 00:40:39.532
I\'m not very gregarious.

00:40:39.533 --> 00:40:41.032
Feel that I\'m having

00:40:41.033 --> 00:40:43.766
my materials
to be gregarious.

00:40:43.767 --> 00:40:45.132
So in--in a way,

00:40:45.133 --> 00:40:47.532
my--maybe
what I don\'t have,

00:40:47.533 --> 00:40:49.899
I want my work to have--

00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:52.132
the properties
that I don\'t have

00:40:52.133 --> 00:40:55.265
that are not part of my life,

00:40:55.266 --> 00:40:58.532
yeah, so that we meet
each other halfway.

00:40:58.533 --> 00:41:02.332
Heh, heh--or we contrast
with each other.

00:41:02.333 --> 00:41:04.734
I think so.

00:41:07.233 --> 00:41:09.432
[delicate harp melody]

00:41:09.433 --> 00:41:11.265
♪

00:41:11.266 --> 00:41:13.833
[kora joins]

00:41:13.834 --> 00:41:17.232
I was 29 when I got this.

00:41:17.233 --> 00:41:18.265
♪

00:41:18.266 --> 00:41:22.499
This was the first ever
passport that I got in 1973

00:41:22.500 --> 00:41:24.866
with which
I came into Nigeria.

00:41:24.867 --> 00:41:27.332
[cello supports arrangement]

00:41:27.333 --> 00:41:31.165
♪

00:41:31.166 --> 00:41:34.833
In art school, these are
some of the earliest works

00:41:34.834 --> 00:41:36.899
that we did.

00:41:36.900 --> 00:41:39.499
♪

00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:44.366
And, uh, on my own,
I was interested in aspects

00:41:44.367 --> 00:41:48.899
of, uh, sculpture
like texture.

00:41:48.900 --> 00:41:50.032
I like this work a lot

00:41:50.033 --> 00:41:55.399
because the model had very
masculine and bold features.

00:41:55.400 --> 00:41:58.367
♪

00:41:58.667 --> 00:42:02.866
This is the physical
sciences building.

00:42:02.867 --> 00:42:05.265
This was done in 1980--

00:42:05.266 --> 00:42:07.332
I think \'82 or 83,

00:42:07.333 --> 00:42:10.466
and, uh, the title is,

00:42:10.467 --> 00:42:13.599
To the Upliftment of Man.

00:42:13.600 --> 00:42:15.833
This is
a terrazzo,

00:42:15.834 --> 00:42:17.833
white cement
and, uh--

00:42:17.834 --> 00:42:20.666
well,
mixed chippings.

00:42:20.667 --> 00:42:23.099
This could be
the mother, the father,

00:42:23.100 --> 00:42:26.599
then another sibling
and a baby.

00:42:26.600 --> 00:42:28.833
It\'s, uh,
abstracted figures.

00:42:28.834 --> 00:42:30.566
You can see
it\'s like, uh,

00:42:30.567 --> 00:42:35.132
almost a family
lifting up, you know.

00:42:35.133 --> 00:42:37.599
[kora leads delicate score]

00:42:37.600 --> 00:42:40.733
♪

00:42:40.734 --> 00:42:45.466
Later on, I got to work
with, uh, chainsaw and wood.

00:42:45.467 --> 00:42:50.432
♪

00:42:50.433 --> 00:42:51.866
Yeah, I started in 1982

00:42:51.867 --> 00:42:55.999
but didn\'t exhibit
until, uh, 1986.

00:42:56.000 --> 00:42:57.265
♪

00:42:57.266 --> 00:43:00.165
It was supplanted
by the metal pieces

00:43:00.166 --> 00:43:03.332
when I started working
with metal.

00:43:03.333 --> 00:43:07.466
♪

00:43:07.467 --> 00:43:09.799
I think I use broken pieces

00:43:09.800 --> 00:43:13.265
because of my eclectic
life history.

00:43:13.266 --> 00:43:14.599
♪

00:43:14.600 --> 00:43:17.132
You know,
it\'s not one homogenous

00:43:17.133 --> 00:43:18.766
kind of, uh, progression.

00:43:18.767 --> 00:43:22.733
It\'s been in bits
and pieces, you know...

00:43:22.734 --> 00:43:24.132
♪

00:43:24.133 --> 00:43:27.065
not living
in my own nuclear family

00:43:27.066 --> 00:43:29.165
and not even, uh--

00:43:29.166 --> 00:43:31.799
uh, living in my country,

00:43:31.800 --> 00:43:36.799
you know, and finally,
now going all over the place.

00:43:36.800 --> 00:43:39.599
You know,
I think it\'s an attempt

00:43:39.600 --> 00:43:43.899
to put all this together,
you know.

00:43:43.900 --> 00:43:47.466
♪

00:43:47.467 --> 00:43:49.766
Normally parents
would be the ones

00:43:49.767 --> 00:43:51.366
imposing a name on you.

00:43:51.367 --> 00:43:54.999
I just thought, why can\'t I
give myself a name--

00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:59.632
something like
an art name or, you know.

00:43:59.633 --> 00:44:04.099
But then I want something
which doesn\'t have a meaning--

00:44:04.100 --> 00:44:06.265
something like Malcolm X.

00:44:06.266 --> 00:44:08.499
Heh, heh... heh!

00:44:08.500 --> 00:44:10.065
♪

00:44:10.066 --> 00:44:12.733
And this is
an autobiographical work

00:44:12.734 --> 00:44:17.132
that is very close
to my heart.

00:44:17.133 --> 00:44:18.666
Well,
I started doing this work

00:44:18.667 --> 00:44:21.532
when news came to me
of the death of my uncle,

00:44:21.533 --> 00:44:24.065
who had raised me,
and I was wondering,

00:44:24.066 --> 00:44:26.666
you know, where human memory
is seated.

00:44:26.667 --> 00:44:28.265
Is it in the head or--

00:44:28.266 --> 00:44:31.099
or in the brain
or in the eyes?

00:44:31.100 --> 00:44:32.366
And I did it by--

00:44:32.367 --> 00:44:35.132
You know, I went in through
here and scooped

00:44:35.133 --> 00:44:37.332
everything out of here

00:44:37.333 --> 00:44:39.566
so that,
when you look through here,

00:44:39.567 --> 00:44:41.699
you will see
it\'s a void.

00:44:41.700 --> 00:44:44.833
Well, later on,
I told some of my relations

00:44:44.834 --> 00:44:47.599
you know,
how I got to know about

00:44:47.600 --> 00:44:51.767
the circumstances
of my mother.

00:44:53.166 --> 00:44:54.934
hmm

00:44:56.166 --> 00:44:58.632
[resonating plucked strings]

00:44:58.633 --> 00:45:04.999
♪

00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:08.399
My father had
about 32 or so of us.

00:45:08.400 --> 00:45:10.032
(woman)
Thirty-two children?

00:45:10.033 --> 00:45:12.300
(Anatsui)
Yeah.

00:45:14.033 --> 00:45:15.566
(woman)
How many wives?

00:45:15.567 --> 00:45:17.966
(Anatsui)
Uh, I think five.

00:45:17.967 --> 00:45:19.766
Was it five or six?

00:45:19.767 --> 00:45:20.799
Five.

00:45:20.800 --> 00:45:22.833
Yeah, I think five.

00:45:22.834 --> 00:45:25.232
No, I didn\'t grow up
with my parents.

00:45:25.233 --> 00:45:27.032
I grew up
with an uncle--

00:45:27.033 --> 00:45:31.666
well, the reverend
minister of the
Presbyterian church.

00:45:31.667 --> 00:45:34.065
It was a common thing
in those days

00:45:34.066 --> 00:45:35.599
that, when you were born,

00:45:35.600 --> 00:45:38.699
they could let you grow
with a different family,

00:45:38.700 --> 00:45:42.966
but the woman who
brought me up as--

00:45:42.967 --> 00:45:44.165
with her child

00:45:44.166 --> 00:45:47.299
was the one
I thought
was my mother,

00:45:47.300 --> 00:45:48.899
you know...

00:45:48.900 --> 00:45:51.699
until I was told
the truth--heh!

00:45:51.700 --> 00:45:53.366
Yeah, you know, the--

00:45:53.367 --> 00:45:55.833
the way even my uncle, uh,
told me--

00:45:55.834 --> 00:45:59.632
Well, we were drinking beer
that I had bought for him,

00:45:59.633 --> 00:46:01.432
and, uh, asks directly,

00:46:01.433 --> 00:46:04.332
\"Who--
who is your mother?\"

00:46:04.333 --> 00:46:08.699
You know, that was
a very big, big puzzle!

00:46:08.700 --> 00:46:11.766
How can this question arise?

00:46:11.767 --> 00:46:16.399
And the silence was very,
very leaden, you know,

00:46:16.400 --> 00:46:18.366
and I was wondering,
\"What the hell?

00:46:18.367 --> 00:46:20.132
\"What kind
of question--why?\"

00:46:20.133 --> 00:46:23.466
or, \"Did I do anything?\"
you know.

00:46:23.467 --> 00:46:25.532
Then finally,
he came and said,

00:46:25.533 --> 00:46:28.999
\"Yeah, that is not
your mother.\"

00:46:29.000 --> 00:46:32.900
You can imagine that,
you know.

00:46:39.100 --> 00:46:40.632
Then he went on to tell me

00:46:40.633 --> 00:46:45.566
that my mother was actually
his younger sister

00:46:45.567 --> 00:46:49.265
and told me the circumstances
in which she died

00:46:49.266 --> 00:46:51.866
and--and, uh...

00:46:51.867 --> 00:46:57.599
how he was there
and took over, and, uh...

00:46:57.600 --> 00:46:59.132
yeah, it did make me feel

00:46:59.133 --> 00:47:04.400
I didn\'t know who I--
I was, you know.

00:47:07.166 --> 00:47:09.132
[indistinct talking]

00:47:09.133 --> 00:47:12.199
[female vocalist
singing operatically]

00:47:12.200 --> 00:47:13.499
♪

00:47:13.500 --> 00:47:17.799
In 1990, in Venice,
I showed as an African artist,

00:47:17.800 --> 00:47:20.899
a geographically
defined artist.

00:47:20.900 --> 00:47:22.332
♪

00:47:22.333 --> 00:47:27.833
But 16 years after that,
I went as just an artist.

00:47:27.834 --> 00:47:30.699
♪

00:47:30.700 --> 00:47:32.666
OK, great;
thank you.

00:47:32.667 --> 00:47:34.733
(Anatsui)
Let me see.

00:47:34.734 --> 00:47:37.232
I have to go look
at the labels again

00:47:37.233 --> 00:47:39.866
\'cause I never can pronounce
the name; can you?

00:47:39.867 --> 00:47:41.666
(woman)
I don\'t even try.

00:47:41.667 --> 00:47:45.299
(woman)
nTui. (woman #2)
Sui.

00:47:45.300 --> 00:47:45.967
Anatsui.

00:47:45.968 --> 00:47:50.299
(man)
This is all the detritus
of everyday life in Africa.

00:47:50.300 --> 00:47:52.332
This is the recycling,
basically,

00:47:52.333 --> 00:47:53.566
of industrial production

00:47:53.567 --> 00:47:55.933
into something that is
completely transcendental

00:47:55.934 --> 00:47:56.867
made out of junk.

00:47:56.868 --> 00:47:59.432
This is not pop art,
but it is an aesthetic,

00:47:59.433 --> 00:48:02.232
which reaches back into
a whole series of things

00:48:02.233 --> 00:48:03.366
in the postwar period,

00:48:03.367 --> 00:48:05.532
but it has a kind
of exaltation that--

00:48:05.533 --> 00:48:08.566
that, uh,
I have not seen before.

00:48:08.567 --> 00:48:10.834
[crowd noise]

00:48:11.667 --> 00:48:15.466
That\'s around the top
of the bottle like that.

00:48:15.467 --> 00:48:18.132
[gasping excitedly]
Ahh!

00:48:18.133 --> 00:48:20.333
It\'s
fabulous.

00:48:25.433 --> 00:48:27.766
Well, you\'re talking
about opulence.

00:48:27.767 --> 00:48:30.233
[crowd noise]

00:48:35.400 --> 00:48:37.466
(woman)
Wow! Incredible!

00:48:37.467 --> 00:48:38.632
Is it the top
of a--

00:48:38.633 --> 00:48:41.632
Yeah, of--of, uh,
drink bottles--
liquor, liquor.

00:48:41.633 --> 00:48:45.799
A lot of--
a lot of drink
has to go into that...

00:48:45.800 --> 00:48:47.466
and a lot of drinking.

00:48:47.467 --> 00:48:49.432
I--
I did some myself.

00:48:49.433 --> 00:48:51.099
Heh, heh....heh!

00:48:51.100 --> 00:48:54.733
I think it\'s great that
you\'ve turned an abject object,

00:48:54.734 --> 00:48:58.733
a bottle top, into a kind
of wonderful celebration,

00:48:58.734 --> 00:49:01.699
flowing on the building
in Venice.

00:49:01.700 --> 00:49:03.799
(woman)
Do you have a card?

00:49:03.800 --> 00:49:05.032
(Anatsui)
Oh, yeah.

00:49:05.033 --> 00:49:06.232
(woman)
Thank you very much.

00:49:06.233 --> 00:49:09.666
(woman #2)
I saw it
in anArt in Americaarticle.

00:49:09.667 --> 00:49:12.199
I just think it\'s an object
of great beauty.

00:49:12.200 --> 00:49:13.966
(woman)
What\'s your name again?

00:49:13.967 --> 00:49:15.499
(Anatsui)
El--El Anatsui.

00:49:15.500 --> 00:49:17.099
(woman)
Where are you from?

00:49:17.100 --> 00:49:18.499
(Anatsui)
I\'m from, uh, Ghana.

00:49:18.500 --> 00:49:22.766
[vigorous hand drumming leads
bright orchestral composition]

00:49:22.767 --> 00:49:36.599
♪

00:49:36.600 --> 00:49:51.132
♪

00:49:51.133 --> 00:49:53.399
[engines buzzing]

00:49:53.400 --> 00:50:00.866
♪

00:50:00.867 --> 00:50:04.399
One of the things
I want my work to be about

00:50:04.400 --> 00:50:06.933
is life itself,

00:50:06.934 --> 00:50:09.799
and life is mystery...

00:50:09.800 --> 00:50:11.099
♪

00:50:11.100 --> 00:50:15.132
so I want my art
to reflect that mystery.

00:50:15.133 --> 00:50:29.566
♪

00:50:29.567 --> 00:50:32.200
[soft footfalls thumping]

00:50:33.533 --> 00:50:36.766
[quirky piano, bass
and drum score]

00:50:36.767 --> 00:50:42.933
♪

00:50:42.934 --> 00:50:45.165
[horns enter]

00:50:45.166 --> 00:50:55.599
♪

00:50:55.600 --> 00:51:04.566
♪

00:51:04.567 --> 00:51:06.933
[arrangement calms]

00:51:06.934 --> 00:51:18.899
♪

00:51:18.900 --> 00:51:21.933
[horns lead
bright piano melody]

00:51:21.934 --> 00:51:34.299
♪

00:51:34.300 --> 00:51:42.299
♪

00:51:42.300 --> 00:51:50.265
♪

00:51:50.266 --> 00:51:53.099
Captioning
Will Halman
Erin Gibbs

00:51:53.100 --> 00:51:58.367
CaptionPerfect, Inc.
www.CaptionPerfect.com