Awakened El Anatsui, 2012 Recycled Aluminum and cooper wire, Boca Museum of Art

The contemporary artist El Anatsui transforms found materials into a medium that lies between sculpture and painting. His works stretch out in strange and novel ways, and some are shaped like pools of water spread across uneven ground.

Awakened (2012) is a jagged, vaguely quadrilateral shape that sprouts a row of hanging vines that drape on a wall. It is pieced together with recycled aluminum and wire to form a colorful textured piece reflecting the aesthetic tradition of his birth country Ghana.

Anatsui encourages flexibility. There is no top, bottom, left or right, and in a few cases, no front or back. In other words, museums can hang his works vertically or horizontally, however they desire. It is a bold move for an artist. The pieces hold their own, no matter how they are displayed.