El Anatsui’s monumental Hyundai Commission debuts at Tate Modern.
Installation view, Hyundai Commission, “El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon,” at Tate Modern, London. Photo ©Tate (Lucy Green).
The acclaimed Ghanaian artist El Anatsui unveiled his largest indoor work to date on Monday morning at the Tate Modern, in its hallowed Turbine Hall. Anatsui’s monumental installation, titled Behind the Red Moon (2023), is made up of three majestic works that are exemplary of his practice of stitching together thousands of discarded bottle caps and metal from liquor bottles to create shimmering sculptural tapestries. The work, the Tate’s annual Hyundai Commission for 2023, is open to the public from today through April 14, 2024.
“[Anatsui’s] highly innovative approach to sculpture, and his unique choice of materials are instantly recognizable,” said Tate director Karin Hindsbo at a press conference on Monday morning. “And the themes he addresses all resonate as strongly today as ever: the evolution of human civilization, its long histories...of migration, power, and decolonization, and the elemental power of the natural world. All of this made him an evident choice for the Hyundai Commission.”
Dooeun Choi, art director of Hyundai Motor—which sponsors the major annual commission—noted that each year the Turbine Hall commission is given to an artist whose work challenges norms and resonates with a global audience. “The artistic trajectory of El Anatsui transcends geographical boundaries, cultural context, and artistic domains,” Choi said.
Installation view, Hyundai Commission, “El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon,” at Tate Modern, London. Photo ©Tate (Joe Humphrys).
A work “staged in three acts,” as the press release describes, Behind the Red Moon reflects on the migration of people and goods during the transatlantic slave trade. The first act, which viewers encounter immediately upon entering the Turbine Hall, The Red Moon, resembles a giant billowing sail of a boat hung overhead; the second, The World, is a golden, deconstructed sphere made up of parts that resemble figures, hung high up towards the center of the space; and on the far end, the third act, The Wall, is a stunning floor-to-ceiling barrier that is black on one side and various colors on the reverse; the work references the ancient wall of Notsie (present-day Togo) built by King Agokoli that spurred the revolutionary uprising of the Ewe people.
“With the commission, I was thinking about how I’ve developed a way of of working, which is using material that is linked in a way with the histories of peoples... Europe, Africa, America,” Anatsui said. “There’s a lot of labor that is involved in doing the work, and when we talk about the three continents, labor is a very crucial element.”
Work on the commission began in 2022 and was realized through Anatsui’s team of over 60 people based in Nigeria and Ghana.
Tate curator Osei Bonsu noted that Anatsui’s history with the Tate is exceptional: “It runs in parallel with Tate’s own history and engagement particularly with contemporary African art. Tate was fortunate enough to acquire work by El in 2012, Ink Splash II (2012), which was one of the first major works by a contemporary African artist to enter Tate’s collection…I think there is something about the way in which El’s work has generated a cross-generational conversation, particularly through this project.”