Ugwu, El Anatsui

“Why the boats, why the rowboat ? This is, on my point of vue, the sign of the departure, the rowboat, it’s used for humans transportation, the ideas and materials. The boat sacrifice himself, as it where, for carrying beings and materials of any kinds. The piece is called Wax Lost, a wasted life. The boat sacrifice himself for carrying beings and materials : she is, usually, horizontal and, she is vertical. They are dead boats we erected to be celebrated. It is the glorification of those who havec sacrified their life, as an elevation to the sky in an exceptional sculpture. The boat sacrifice himself, as when bronze is cast and the wax is lost. The energie is lost to allow another thing to exist. It’s the emergence of new things that’s being celebrated.The boat has a bronze spine. There is a bronze conversion of the boats, with the bowl at the top to distribute the wax.”
El Anatsui, traduction Hervé Bernard