Gladstone Gallery held an exhibition of recent work by Anish Kapoor (Brussels, March 18-April 17, 2015) including a large-scale sculpture, Double Vertigo (2012), presented in the ground floor of a townhome at 6 Rue du Grand Cerf, adjacent to the gallery. Double Vertigo is comprised of two curved, reflective stainless steel planes (a tad Serra-esque) that alter spatial perception and create the illusion of standing in an infinite expanse.
This effect engenders a sense of awe and emptiness that Homi Bhabha has described in Kapoor’s work as “the contrary, yet correlated forces of withdrawal and disclosure.” The exhibition also features work in a wide range of mediums, offering a unique opportunity to see the myriad materials and methods that Kapoor has explored throughout his career, at scales both intimate and monumental.
CFile was most interested in mixing materials with earth (clay) to create organic, gritty forms. As the gallery states, while the surface of these sculptures contrasts with the polish of the mirrored works, they function similarly as explorations of depth that imply cavernous interiority and indeterminate sense of dimension.
Kapoor has worked with clay frequently (notably his 2013 show in Berlin when he wrapped the tools from his studio in “Berlin” clay (we are not sure what that means, locally dug?) and buried them in a six meter mountain of clay. He also has extruded huge piles of clay for his installations but shifted to concrete as it was “self-firing” in a sense.
For the record, readers are asking for biographies with each post, Anish Kapoor was born in 1954 in Bombay, India, and has lived and worked in London since 1973. Major solo exhibitions of his work have been presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Le Grand Palais, Paris; National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Bilbao; the Tate Modern, London; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz; Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples; Haus der Kunst, Munich; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Kapoor received the Premio Duemila for his British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1990 and the Turner Prize in 1991. In June 2015 the Château de Versailles will present a solo exhibition of his work.
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the view out the window with the bottom sculpture is very beautiful. encourage recognition of the accidental site specific.
the view out the window with the bottom piece is very beautiful and adds to the sculpture. encourage recognition for the accidental site specific.
Kapoor often works with clay and also in ceramics. These are two very different things.
We are aware of this. G