 He was selected to be one of ten artists invited to the Zweites Symposium Nordesekkuste residency in Cuxhaven, West Germany, in 1984.In 1990, Anatsui was invited to the 44th annual Venice Biennale show "5 Contemporary African Artists", where he received an honorable mention.That year he was included in the American documentary "Nigerian Art-Kindred Spirits".