Preparation for Ghanaian artist El Anatsui’s exhibition at Akron Art Museum in Ohio has began and it has been both a dream and a nightmare for the team.

Boxes and boxes of materials wrapped in heavy sheets are spread across the floors with no blueprints and patterns. The artist typically does not provide instructions on how to assemble his metallic tapestries and the responsibility falls on the curator’s shoulders – this time on Ellen Rudolph’s shoulders.

Art installers working on this project must also be up to date on their tetanus shots and wear special gloves before handling the tin-can lids and wires.

The exhibition Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui will feature some works never before seen in the US with 12 wall and floor sculptures and a series of drawings.

Rudolph says, “One of the most exciting and challenging aspects of this installation is that every time one of El Anatsui’s shows gets installed, it’s re-envisioned differently. They can be sculpted or draped or expanded to fit the space. They’re almost like bustling a dress.”

The exhibition will be on view starting from June 16^th and runs until October 7^th.

If you want to learn more about contemporary African art, you should pick up the summer issue of Kaleidoscope, a Milan-based contemporary art magazine that was launched back in 2009. The current issue “intends to be the most up-to-date and thorough exploration of the African scene of contemporary art and culture, from Egypt to South Africa via Ethiopia and Nigeria, conducted in collaboration with a dream team of both international contributors and influential thinkers and practitioners working in and around Africa today.”

To read the complete story, please visit www.ohio.com (Akron Beacon Journal)

For more information on the summer issue of Kaleidoscope, please visit: kaleidoscope-press.com