concept:era contemporary

Dusasa II

Name: Provenio Provenance Knowledge Graph
License: https://provenio.art/terms

Large-scale wall installation by El Anatsui, 2007, assembled from reclaimed aluminium bottle caps and copper wire. The work's title references the Ewe concept of the individual's dual nature. Acquired by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. One of the signature works from Anatsui's Venice Biennale period.

Scholarly Significance

Add El Anatsui's Dusasa II to complement Earth's Skin — representing a different scale and institutional context (Guggenheim Bilbao).

Notes

·The title 'Dusasa' derives from the Ewe (Anatsui's native language group) word referring to a type of knot or tying; it also alludes to the concept of entanglement and interdependence.
·The work was first exhibited at the Arsenale during the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007), where Anatsui received a special award.
·Like all Anatsui installations, Dusasa II is hung differently at each venue — the configuration is negotiated between the artist's studio and installation teams.
·The shimmering surface evokes both kente cloth (the Ghanaian royal woven textile) and medieval European chain mail, creating a transhistorical visual dialogue.
·Scale: approximately 4.9 × 7.6 metres; weight several hundred kilograms.