How discarded alcohol bottle caps became monumental tapestries of African history and resilience

Art · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: El Anatsui transforms thousands of flattened, discarded aluminum bottle caps into shimmering, malleable wall sculptures. By stitching these industrial remnants together with copper wire, the Ghanaian artist creates vast, fluid tapestries that evoke the complex history of trade, colonialism, and the collective labor of the people who handled them.

Born in 1944 in the British colony of the Gold Coast, El Anatsui spent his early career experimenting with local materials like wooden market trays and ceramics. His transition to metal began by accident in 1998, when he discovered a bag of discarded liquor bottle caps near his studio in Nsukka, Nigeria. He immediately recognized the material's historical weight, noting that alcohol was a key commodity in the transatlantic slave trade, moving from the West Indies to Europe and finally to Africa.

Anatsui’s process is a feat of collaborative labor. He works with a team of studio assistants to cut, pound, and fold the caps, stitching them into segments with copper wire. The resulting works, such as the 2004 piece Sasa (Manteau), resemble traditional kente cloth, which is also constructed from narrow, sewn strips. This method allows the final sculpture to take on an unpredictable, organic form that shifts depending on how it is installed.

A defining feature of Anatsui’s practice is his refusal to dictate the final shape of his work. Since his 2002 exhibition at London’s October Gallery, he has left the installation of his tapestries to the host institution, encouraging technicians to drape, ripple, or fold the metal as they see fit. This openness reflects his interest in the 'fact of many hands,' ensuring that the viewer feels the presence of the assistants, the gallery staff, and the original consumers of the discarded materials.

This approach marks a departure from his earlier work, which often explored themes of fragmentation through broken pottery or chainsaw-carved wood. By elevating the banal, discarded remnants of daily life into monumental art, Anatsui bridges the gap between the industrial past and the artistic present, turning trash into a profound meditation on African identity and the resilience of the continent.

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