Anish Kapoor at Lisson Gallery
Anish Kapoor is undeniably one of the most influential artists of his generation. His work is varied and sophisticated, and is often placed in the public eye. He is notable for being able to create at any scale, from works on paper to huge engineered structures in urban spaces. This show at the Lisson combines many of Kapoor’s strengths and signature series, while demonstrating a key development in the artist’s practice.
The works on show in this exhibition (Kapoor’s 16th at Lisson since he began to be represented by the gallery in 1982) blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture. The most striking pieces on display are his structures in silicon, fabric and paint. Simultaneously repellent and attractive, these amorphous objects sit on the gallery floor like diseased tumours or cysts. Their visceral appeal disrupts the traditionally clean and silent space of the venue.
The works are an important development from Kapoor’s well-known triptych Internal Object in Three Parts (2013-15). In these works, shown a couple of years ago at Lisson, Kapoor pushed painting to the edge by applying silicon and paint to a canvas until the surface stood out a foot from the wall. The pieces on show in the current exhibition have taken painting off the wall; although highly sculptural and three-dimensional, the works make emphatic use of paint and are enmeshed in a fabric-like canvas.
Accompanying these large and disturbing pieces are two of Kapoor’s concave mirrors, which are testament to the artist’s engagement with artistic materials and to his ability to play visual tricks on the viewer’s mind. Elsewhere, there is a series of works on paper (which are rarely seen as part of Kapoor’s oeuvre) which explore his interest in apocalyptic, abstract and gestural imagery.
Overall, the exhibition slightly lacked a guiding curatorial hand to tie the different art works together. However, this may be partly because Kapoor’s works are so well-known they take on an uncontrollable narrative of their own. In many ways, Kapoor’s newest works speak for themselves.
Anna Souter
Photos: Erol Birsen
Anish Kapoor is at Lisson Gallery from 31st March until 6th May 2017, for further information visit here.
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