Anish Kapoor at the Lisson Gallery – Perfect for Halloween

Last weekend we checked out the Anish Kapoor exhibition at Lisson Gallery, which is free and runs until 30 October. As required, we booked a timed entry slot well ahead of the day.

PAINTER WHO IS A SCULPTOR

The artist is mainly known for his sculptures, even though paint and paintings have been part of his work since the beginning. Kapoor once described himself as a painter who is a sculptor.

LATEST WORKS

All the works on display have been created over the past two years, mostly at the artist’s London studio.

 

MODERN ART OXFORD

Parallel to this exhibition, there is a second exhibition of Kapoor’s paintings at Modern Art Oxford until February next year, which we are planning to see soon.

 

FLESH AND BLOOD

Kapoor is diving into the “inner world of our mind and body,” the brochure tells us, “from the physical exploration of the flesh and blood, to investigating psychological concepts as primal and nameless as origin and obliteration.”

 

LEARN ABOUT THE ARTIST’S NEW ENDEAVOURS

Should you be looking for something fun to do around Halloween and you’re neither into freaky parties nor into scary movies, then this exhibition might just be for you. While we are guessing that most Anish aficionados will prefer his older works (I know we do!), this exhibition is without any doubt a great way to learn about the artist’s new endeavours.

A SHORT-LIVED FAD?

It seems highly unlikely that the master will stop creating those sculptures that became so popular all over the world. However, the interest in mind and body, flesh and blood, seems unlikely to be a short-lived fad. So brace for more of this.

 

TRUE TO HIMSELF

Like all of Kapoor’s works, the paintings and the two sculptures in this exhibition explore space, materials, colours, and textures. Along the way he tries to rip the visitors out of their mundane day-to-day routines and send them on an expedition into the unknown.

 

SAW III MEETS TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

While older works involved a lot of reflective surfaces like polished metal and mirrors, this exhibition is dominated by the colour red, mixed with grey, black, and occasionally yellow and other colours. Some works look straight out of Saw III, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or Friday 13th, others evoke images of erupting volcanoes, lava flows, and hell.

KAPOOR: “VERY, VERY VIOLENT.”

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Kapoor calls his latest works “very, very violent.” He’s quoted as saying: “And I just wonder what the hell that has to do with what’s in me. I can’t sit here and psychoanalyse them. I don’t know how to. But I recognise that it’s there.” I guess it’s what the pandemic does to us.

 

FASCINATION WITH INTESTINES

Naturally, Kapoor is not the first artist to have been fascinated by intestines. Francis Bacon, Leonardo di Vinci and many others have shown an intense interest in innards.

LISSON GALLERY’S STILL GOT IT

Few galleries can consistently pull off brilliant exhibitions like this one. It shows that Lisson Gallery is one of the good and great galleries out there with a history of more than 50 years.

Kapoor is being represented by Lisson Gallery. This is the 18th or 19th time they exhibit his works, if my maths is correct.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE EXHIBITION!

As mentioned further above, Ellie & I prefer the master’s sculptures to his paintings, and the more traditional sculptures that made him famous to the new flesh and blood sculptures. That said, Kapoor’s new works are certainly stimulating and exciting. 4.5 out of 5 in our book.

Just a stone’s throw away from 27 Bell Street is the Gallery’s 67 Lisson Street venue, where celebrated performance artist Marina Abramovic’s Seven Deaths is being exhibited. It is an immersive cinematic experience involving Abramovic, Hollywood superstar Willem Dafoe, several other people, and a giant snake. The music is by late opera singer Maria Callas.

Looking for more posts about art and culture? Feel welcome to check out our posts about this year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Frieze London 2021, the V&A’s current Curiouser and Curiouser Exhibition (Alice in Wonderland), ‘Van Gogh Alive‘ in Kensington Gardens, or the David Hockney Exhibition at Tate Britain a few years ago.

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2 Comments

  1. The Anish Kapoor exhibit looks interesting with such a focus on flesh and blood. But it might not be to my taste even if this is a fad that might not pass. I might want to check out his more traditional paintings and sculptures.

    1. Oh.. absolutely not precisely our thing either, Linda, compared with his older works. We did really enjoy the Halloween vibe of it, though, and I guess to us it was interesting how Kapoor continues to explore materials, surfaces, textures to express himself. The Chicago Bean is a lot easier on the eye, though, hahaha…. 🙂 🙂 🙂

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