Anish Kapoor: Art on the edge
Key takeaways
- His art challenges our perception: Forms vanish and perspectives shift.
- For some, gazing into dark whirlpools, into the blackest of black, may be unsettling, depending on one's state of mind.
- And yet, the artist seems cheerful and relaxed talking about his work.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
His art challenges our perception: Forms vanish and perspectives shift. Anish Kapoor leads the viewer to the edge of the abyss — and sometimes, even beyond. Two new exhibitions revisit his work.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FWGl Encountering Anish Kapoor's art can be a test of courage: Shown here, 'Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto' part of the exhibition at Hayward Gallery Image: Justin Ng/Avalon/Photoshot/picture alliance Advertisement Anish Kapoor can demand quite a lot from his audience. For some, gazing into dark whirlpools, into the blackest of black, may be unsettling, depending on one's state of mind. Added to that is dark red wax, one of his favorite materials: It symbolizes flesh and blood. Associations that cut straight to the core.
And yet, the artist seems cheerful and relaxed talking about his work. At times, however, it even makes him feel a little uneasy. Take, for example, the major exhibition of his work currently on view at the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg. In an interview with ARD, he walks around "First Body," a sculpture made of resin, and says: "It is, if you like, fleshy. Sort of doing this rather strange thing," he laughs, as his shoulders shudder.