ARTISTS
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El Anatsui
El Anatsui is one of the leading artists of our time. Emerging from the vibrant post-independence art movements of 1960s and 70s West Africa, he has gone on to receive widespread international acclaim for his sculptural experiments with media, form and tradition.
Throughout a distinguished forty-year career as both sculptor and teacher – he was Professor of Sculpture and Departmental Head at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka – El Anatsui has addressed a vast range of social, political and historical concerns, and embraced an equally diverse range of media and processes. Using anything from chainsaws and welding torches to this intricate and meditative 'sewing' process, he has shaped materials ranging from cassava graters and railway sleepers to driftwood, iron nails and obituary notice printing plates etc. Since 1993 he has worked with the October Gallery, London. His sculptures have been collected by major international museums, from the British Museum to the Centre Pompidou, the de Young Museum, San Francisco, the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, the museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf, and many other prestigious institutions besides, El Anatsui is today justly recognised as one of the most original and compelling contemporary artists of the day.
El Anatsui's series of installations have provoked a frenzy of international attention in recent years, with institutions and audiences clamouring for more of these sumptuous, mesmerising works made from thousands of aluminium bottle tops and forming magnificent wall sculptures.
El Anatsui’s work caused something of a sensation when, during the Venice Biennale, in 2007, he transformed the facade of the Palazzo Fortuny by draping it in another of his shimmering wall sculptures. He was also the winner of the New York Museum of Arts and Design’s Visionaries 2008 award. At the Dubai Art Fair, 2010, October Gallery and El Anatsui presented his dazzling work; In the World, but Don’t know the World?, which was received with great acclaim. In autumn 2010, two major touring shows of his work opened on opposite sides of the world: El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You About Africa at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada (organised by the Museum for African Art, New York) and A Fateful Journey: Africa in the Works of El Anatsui at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan.
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| Selected Solo Shows |
| 2012 |
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El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote To You About Africa, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, New York |
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El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote To You About Africa, Denver Art Museum, Colorado |
| 2011 |
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El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote To You About Africa, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, Michigan |
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El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote To You About Africa, Museum for African Art, Long Island City, New York |
| 2010 |
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El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote To You About Africa, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada |
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El Anatsui, Rice Gallery, Houston, Texas |
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El Anatsui, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York |
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El Anatsui, Belger Arts Center, Kansas City, Missouri |
2009 |
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3rd Moscow Biennale for Contemporary Art: Against Ecxlusion, Garage Center for Contempoary Art, Moscow, Russia |
| 2008 |
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Big 4, Channel 4 Headquarters (special outdoor installation), London, UK |
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Earth Growing Roots, University Art Gallery, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA |
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El Anatsui: Gawu, National Museum for African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA |
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Zebra Crossing, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY, USA |
| 2007 |
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El Anatsui: Gawu, the University of Arizona Museum for Art, Tucson, Arizona, the Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles and the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA |
| 2006 |
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El Anatsui, David Krut Projects, New York, NY, USA (in collaboration with October Gallery, London) |
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El Anatsui: Nyekor, Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Milan, Italy |
| 2005 |
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Danudo: Recent Sculptures of El Anatsui.Skoto Gallery (in collaboration with Contemporary African Art Gallery, New York) |
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El Anatsui: Gawu, October Gallery, London, UK |
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El Anatsui: Gawu, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida, USA |
| 2003 |
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El Anatsui: Gawu, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, Wales, UK. An Oriel Mostyn Gallery exhibition touring UK, Ireland and USA |
| 2002 |
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October Gallery, London. |
| 1998 |
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October Gallery, London. |
| 1997 |
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French Cultural Centre, Lagos. |
| 1995 |
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October Gallery, London. |
| 1991 |
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National Museum, Lagos. |
| 1987 |
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Faculty of Arts & Design, Cornwall College, UK. |
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Franco-German Auditorium, Lagos. |
| 1982 |
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Goethe Institut, Lagos. |
| 1980 |
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Community of Arts, Massachusetts. |
| 1979 |
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Broken Pots: Sculpture by El Anatsui, British Council Enugu; Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. |
| 1976 | | Asele Art Gallery, Nsukka, Nigeria. |
| Selected Group Shows |
| 2008 |
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The Poetics of Cloth: African Textiles, Grey Art Gallery, New York, NY, USA |
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Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, Museum for Arts and Design, New York, NY, USA |
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Angaza Afrika, October Gallery, London |
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El Juego Africano de lo Contemporáneo : Pre-Figuraciones Poscoloniales Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Union Fenosa (MACUF), A Coruna,Spain |
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The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA |
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World Histories, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa, USA |
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Tapping Currents: Contemporary African Art and Diaspora, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, USA |
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Sonsbeek 2008: Grandeur, Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem, Netherlands |
| 2006 |
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Un/Fair Trade, Neue Galerie, Graz, Austria |
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Altered, Stitched and Gathered, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York, USA |
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Uncomfortable Truths, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (touring UK) |
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52nd Annual Venice Biennale in the Arsenale, Venice, Italy |
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Artempo – Where Art Becomes Time, Venice, Italy |
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DAK’ART 2006, 7th edition of the Biennale of African Art, Senegal |
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The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, Los Angeles, USA (touring) |
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Europe-Afrique: Regards Croisés, Ateliers des Tanneurs, Brussels |
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Black Panther Rank and File, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, USA |
| 2005 |
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Out There, Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, Norwich, UK |
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De Young Museum, San Francisco, USA |
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In the Making: materials and process, Michael Stevenson, Cape Town, SA |
| 2004-7 |
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Afrika Remix, museum kunst palast, Düsseldorf, Germany and touring to the Hayward Gallery, London, UK; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden |
| 2003 |
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Africa Informs, October Gallery, London, UK. |
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Biennale de Ceramica dell’ Arte Contemporanea, Villa Groppallo, Vado Ligure, Italy. |
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Transfers, Palais de Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium. |
| 2002 |
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One: The Independent, Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, Liverpool, UK |
| 2001 |
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News from the Front, October Gallery, London, UK. |
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Elf Village, Port Harcourt, Nigeria |
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The Happy Face of Globalisation, The 1st Albissola Ceramics Biennale, MuseoCivico d’Arte Contemporanea and Museo della Ceramica Manlio Trucco, Albissola, Italy, touring to Musée Ariana, Geneva, Switzerland. |
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Encounters with the Contemporary, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, USA. |
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Africas: The Artist and the City, Centro de Cultura Contemporania Barcelona (CCCB), Barcelona, Spain. |
| 2000 |
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Messagers de la Terre, Rur’Art– Espace d’Art Contemporain d’Lycée Agricole Xavier Bernard, Rouille, France. |
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El Tiempo de Africa (Africa’s Time), Centro Atlántico Arte Moderno, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. |
| 1999 |
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Les Champs de la Sculpture, Presented by the City of Paris and organised by the Paris Cultural Afairs Department, Champs Elysées, Paris, France |
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The Independent, Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, Liverpool, UK |
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New Colours From Old Worlds: Contemporary Art from West Africa, October Gallery, London, UK. |
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The Transvangarde, October Gallery, London, UK. |
| 1998 |
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9th Osaka Sculpture Triennale, Osaka, Japan. |
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Riddle of the Spirits– Twelve African Artists, Skoto Gallery, New York, USA. |
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7. Triennale der Kleineplastik, Stüttgart, Germany. |
| 1997 |
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The Poetics of Line– Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group, The National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA. |
| 1996 |
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Transforms, October Gallery, London, UK. |
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Africana, Sala 1, Rome, Italy. |
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Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden. |
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Images of Africa, Torpedohallen, Copenhagen, Denmark. |
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Container ’96– Art Across Oceans, Langelinie, Copenhagen, Denmark. |
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Transvangarde, October Gallery, London, UK |
| 1995 |
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The Right to Hope, Johannesburg Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, touring to Cairo, Amman, Gaza, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. |
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Contemporary African Art, World Intellectual Property Organisation Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland. |
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8th Osaka Sculpture Triennale, Osaka, Japan. |
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AKA ’95, Bona Gallery, Enugu and Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria. |
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Uli Art– Master Works, Skoto Gallery, New York, USA. |
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Art In The Shadow, The Nigerian Pavillion at Africus– 1st Johannesburg Biennale, Johannesburg, South Africa. |
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Configura 2, Erfurt, Germany. |
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An Inside Story– African Art of our Time, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, touring to the Tokushima Modern Art Museum, Tokushima; Himeji City Museum of Arts, Himeji; Koriyama City Museum of Art, Koriyama; Marugame Inokuma-Genichiro Museum of Contemporary Art; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Japan. |
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Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa, The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK. |
| 1994 |
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5th Havana Biennale, Havana, Cuba. |
| 1993 |
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New Currents ’93– Avant-Garde Nigerian Art, Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria. |
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Six African Artists, October Gallery, London, UK. |
| 1992 |
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Begegnung mit den Anderen, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany. |
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AKA ’92, Bona Galley, Enugu and Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria. |
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Arte Amazonas, Modern Art Museum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and subsequently touring as Klima Global to Staatliche Kunsthalle, Berlin and Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany. |
| 1991 |
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Works by a Group of African Artists, The World Bank Art Society Gallery, World |
| 1991 |
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AKA ’91, Bona Gallery, Enugu and Goethe Institut, Lagos, Nigeria. |
| 1990-92 |
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Contemporary African Artists:Changing Tradition, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, touring to the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago Public Library Cultural Centre, Chicago, Illinois; Washington Project for the Arts, Washington DC and the Museum of the National Centre of African-American Artists, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. |
| 1990 |
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AKA ’90, The Presidential Hotel, Enugu and Goethe Insitut, Lagos, Nigeria. |
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The Calabash 1st Art Exhibition, The Calabash, Lagos, Nigeria. |
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Five Contemporary African Artists, 44th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. |
| 1989 |
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Zeitgenössische Nigerianische Kunst, Bonn, Bocholt and Mönchengladbach, Germany. |
| 1988 |
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Walls and Gates– El Anatsui & Liz Willis, Avant-Garde Gallery, Kaduna, Nigeria.
Thoughts and Processes– El Anatsui & Ndubisi Onah, The Italian Cultural Institute, Lagos, Nigeria. |
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AKA ’88, Nigerian Union of Journalists’ Press Centre, Enugu; Institute of African Studies, Nsukka and the National Gallery of Crafts and Design, Lagos, Nigeria. |
| 1987 |
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Original Prints from the 3rd Nsukka Workshop, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Goethe Institut, Lagos, Nigeria |
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AKA ’87, The Presidential Hotel, Enugu and the National Gallery of Crafts and Design, Lagos, Nigeria. |
| 1986 |
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Nigerian-German Prints, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Franco-German Auditorium, Lagos, Nigeria |
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AKA ’86– Inaugural Exhibition of the AKA Circle of Artists, the French Centre, Enugu and Goethe Institut, Lagos, Nigeria. |
| 1983 |
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Four Contemporary African Artists, Mintec Gallery, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. |
| 1982 |
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Okike 10th Anniversary Exhibition, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. |
| 1981 |
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Drawing on the World, Billingham Art Gallery, Billingham; Middlesborough Art Gallery, Middlesborough and the House of Commons Gallery, Westminster, London, UK |
| 1979 |
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The Nsukka School, Art Gallery of the Rivers State Council for Arts and Culture, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. |
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Christian Arts in Nigeria, Holy Trinity Cathedral Hall, Onitsha, Nigeria. |
| 1975 |
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Fabric Wall Hangings, Burnt Wooden Wall Plaques, The Institute of African Studies,University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. |
| 1974 |
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Tekarts Expo 5, Accra Arts Centre, Accra, Ghana. |
| Prizes/Awards |
| 1990 | | Honourable Mention (joint), 44th Venice Biennale, Italy. |
| 1991 | | Founding Member, Pan-African Circle of Artist (PACA). |
| 1995 | | Kansai Telecasting Corporation Prize, Osaka Triennale (Sculpture), Japan. |
| 1998 | | Bronze Prize, 9th Osaka Triennale Sculpture. |
| 1999 | | Publics Prize, 7th Triennale der Kleinplastik, Stuttgart |
| 2000 | | Member, International Selection Committee, Dakar Biennale. |
| 2000 | | Founding Member & Fellow, Forum for African ArtsCollections (Public) |
| Collections |
| African Studies Gallery, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. |
| Musée Ariana, Geneva, Switzerland. |
| Asele Institute, Nimo, Nigeria. |
| The British Museum, London, UK. |
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC, USA.
Diamond Bank of Nigeria, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
French Cultural Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.
Ghanaian Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Hammermill Collection, Hellebaek, Helsingør, Denmark.
International Peoples’ College, Helsingør, Denmark.
Museum of Art, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Iwalewa-Haus, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
The National Gallery of Contemporary Art, Lagos, Nigeria.
The National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC,
Osaka Foundation of Culture, Osaka, Japan.
Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
The World Bank Art Collection, Washington DC, USA.
Centre Pomipdou, Paris, France
Museum kunst palast, Duesseldorf, Germany
Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
Clarks International Art Collection, Somerset, UK
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida, USA
St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
De Young Museum, San Francisco, USAMissoni, Milan, Italy |
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