Exhibition – Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy of Arts, London
Star rating – 8/10
Ok – so what is all the fuss about was pretty much my mindset on visiting the latest exhibition by sculptor Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy. And now I know. These sculptures are pretty wonderful. From the moment you enter the courtyard of the building you are met by a giant sculpture of shiny silver balls piling high into the sky on top of one another. The balls reflect the buildings around them and defy gravity as they perch marvellously on top of each other.
Inside the gallery and everything is big and bold and often shiny. The ‘Shooting into the Corner’ display is a giant cannon which fires crimson wax into a smaller anteroom every 20 minutes, presumably to build up a veritable wall of wax by the time the exhibition closes in December. So this is what the signs as you enter the exhibition warn you about – beware as the exhibits may ruin your clothes! Not mine though…
Going further through the rooms and there is a magnificent yellow convex sculpture on one wall, suitably entitled ‘Yellow’ As you approach this sculpture, it becomes apparent that it is actually concave and not convex. Similar tricks are played on the senses in the hall full of the giant concave mirrors of many shapes. Again it is partly the sheer size of these installations that is amazing and intriguing.
The centre piece of the exhibition is entitled ‘Svayambh’ and is a vast red wax block that moves slowly and inexorably through three rooms and back again, leaving a trail of wax as it goes. Also worth a mention is the highly suggestive and sensual ‘Slug’ (pictured here). Kapoor obviously likes things crimson red – and I have to agree.
So a highly thought provoking exhibition which is nothing less than an assault on the senses – in the nicest possible way. So that is what all the fuss is about.
Star rating – 8/10
Ok – so what is all the fuss about was pretty much my mindset on visiting the latest exhibition by sculptor Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy. And now I know. These sculptures are pretty wonderful. From the moment you enter the courtyard of the building you are met by a giant sculpture of shiny silver balls piling high into the sky on top of one another. The balls reflect the buildings around them and defy gravity as they perch marvellously on top of each other.
Inside the gallery and everything is big and bold and often shiny. The ‘Shooting into the Corner’ display is a giant cannon which fires crimson wax into a smaller anteroom every 20 minutes, presumably to build up a veritable wall of wax by the time the exhibition closes in December. So this is what the signs as you enter the exhibition warn you about – beware as the exhibits may ruin your clothes! Not mine though…
Going further through the rooms and there is a magnificent yellow convex sculpture on one wall, suitably entitled ‘Yellow’ As you approach this sculpture, it becomes apparent that it is actually concave and not convex. Similar tricks are played on the senses in the hall full of the giant concave mirrors of many shapes. Again it is partly the sheer size of these installations that is amazing and intriguing.
The centre piece of the exhibition is entitled ‘Svayambh’ and is a vast red wax block that moves slowly and inexorably through three rooms and back again, leaving a trail of wax as it goes. Also worth a mention is the highly suggestive and sensual ‘Slug’ (pictured here). Kapoor obviously likes things crimson red – and I have to agree.
So a highly thought provoking exhibition which is nothing less than an assault on the senses – in the nicest possible way. So that is what all the fuss is about.
No comments:
Post a Comment