By John Owoo
(Accra – Ghana)
Few living artists have reshaped the language of contemporary sculpture as profoundly as Ghanaian-born Emeritus Professor El Anatsui has.
This remarkable achievement was celebrated with the unveiling of El Anatsui: The Man, the Myth, the Legend at 80 and Counting, a major new publication launched by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in collaboration with the University Senior Staff Club.
Held last month at the Princess Alexandra Auditorium in Nsukka under the chairmanship of the Obi of Onitsha (Agbogidi), His Royal Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe, the launch drew academics, artists, traditional and cultural leaders, government officials, students, and members of the international arts community.
According to artsghana sources in Nsukka, the event was more than a ceremonial book launch; it became a reflection on the life of an artist whose practice has transformed discarded materials into some of the most compelling sculptural forms of the past half-century and has placed Africa at the center of global artistic discourse.
Edited by Associate Professor Greg Mbajiorgu and Chikaogwu Kanu, the 411-page volume examines the many dimensions of Anatsui’s life and career. It traces his forty-seven years at the University of Nigeria, during which his teaching and artistic practice helped shape what is now internationally recognized as the Nsukka School of Art.
From this university town in southeastern Nigeria, Anatsui developed a distinctive visual language that challenged conventional definitions of sculpture through monumental installations crafted from bottle caps, aluminum strips, copper wire, and other reclaimed materials.
The publication brings together contributions from more than one hundred scholars, artists, historians, journalists, scientists, cultural practitioners, administrators, and traditional leaders across Africa, Europe, and North America.
Collectively, the essays present Anatsui not only as an artist of extraordinary international standing but also as a mentor, educator, intellectual, institution builder, cultural ambassador, and philanthropist whose influence extends well beyond the exhibition space.
One highlight of the launch was a critical review by Professor Chris Uchenna Agbedo, who called the volume both a cultural archive and an important contribution to African intellectual history. The book captures the evolution of an artist whose work has become synonymous with transformation, sustainability, memory, and the reimagining of material culture.
The publication also reaffirms Nsukka’s central role in contemporary African art history. Through Anatsui’s career, the university has become a destination for curators, researchers, collectors, and artists worldwide, demonstrating how local artistic communities can generate ideas with global resonance.
Appearing at a time when institutions are increasingly reassessing the place of African artists in the international canon, El Anatsui: The Man, the Myth, the Legend at 80 and Counting arrives as both a scholarly resource and a timely tribute.
More than documenting an exceptional career, it affirms El Anatsui’s place among the defining artists of our time and underscores African modernism’s enduring contribution to the global history of contemporary art.
Present at the ceremony were Rt. Hon. Chidi Obeta (Member of the Federal House of Representatives), Emeritus Prof. Uche Azikiwe (Formerly of the Faculty of Education – UNN), Justice Prof. Peter Umeadi (Former Chief Judge of Anambra State), Prof. Mike Onyia (1st Deputy Vice Chancellor – UNN), and Dr. Obi Asika (Director General and CEO of the National Council for Arts and Culture).
Others include Dr. Mrs. Virgy Anohu – Linguistic Strategist / Bank Executive (Adadioramma), HRH Eze Ifeanyi Ekeh (Udumeze III of Lopkanta), and Chief Loretta Aniagolu (Director – FIT Consult Group of Companies).
Pix – Courtesy of the artist
