Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Anish Kapoor at the ICA

Tonight I had the lucky opportunity to attend a sneak peek opening for Anish Kapoor's exhibit Past, Present, and Future at the ICA in Boston. I felt very fortunate to be able to hear the artist speak about his work tonight, and then to be one of the first to see this rather exceptional showing of sculpture. Although modern sculpture does not always interest me (sometimes I can't help but find it sterile or elitist), I truly loved this show. I think it was Kapoor's humble, playful, and genuine approach toward making art that most impressed me— he spoke about this tonight, but you also got a real sense of it just by looking at the work. It was a bit like being a kid in a fun house— the reflective surfaces on some pieces were like those crazy warped mirrors at a carnival (but times ten), and the "void" pieces were some seriously amazing optical illusions.The British Kapoor is perhaps best known in the US for his "Cloud Gate" in Chicago (pictured below), and from September 19th—October 7th, he will be temporarily showing a "Sky Mirror" in front of Rockefeller Plaza (simulated photo at bottom). As for the exhibit in Boston, this is his first show on the East Coast and it is a retrospective of 14 works made since 1980. It will be open to the public from May 30—September 7th. Thanks again to Chung for inviting me to see it with him early! ••••

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Anish Kapoor impressed me as an artist and as a person. He spoke with honesty and integrity--like a true artist. I'll have to agree with Tess. It certainly felt like a children's playground walking into the exhibition. You couldn't help but to respond to these works. I recommend that everyone see this show.