Fold Crumple Crush: The Art of El Anatsui

Directed by: Susan Vogel

2011 | USA/Nigeria | 81 minutes | Unrated

The New York Times has stated that “El Anatsui has become a global star and achieved that status by working at home, finding a grand and modest beauty there, and spreading that beauty everywhere.” 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. We see the artist installing work on the world stage of the Venice Biennale; we follow him back to the small town of Nsukka, and draw ever closer to a deep understanding of the man.