The Ghanaian artist El Anatsui (b. 1944) dazzled the art world with his monumental textile-like wall panels exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2007. At the same time, the Fowler was hosting a solo exhibition of Anatsui’s large-scale works, including Versatility (2006), a sculptural wall assemblage that hangs today in the museum’s exhibition space, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives. Visitors often mistake Versatility’s shimmering surface for a cloth woven from gold; in reality, El Anatsui used thousands of metal liquor bottle wrappers. Join Fowler Director Marla C. Berns, who was instrumental in acquiring Versatility for the museum’s permanent collection, as she discusses the complex meanings and inspirations behind this sumptuous work.

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