One of the most influential sculptors of his generation, Anish Kapoor is widely recognised for his monumental public works and installations that often incorporate reflective surfaces and curvature as well as unconventional sculptural mediums like water. A preoccupation with voids, the body and the relationship between man and his surrounding environment further characterise his works.

Emerging as a sculptor in the 1980s, Kapoor's use of pure pigment and traditional materials such as limestone and wood aligned him with a group of young artists—among them Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley and Shirazeh Houshiary—known as the New British Sculptors. Kapoor gained recognition for his biomorphic works, notably As if to celebrate, I discovered a mountain blooming with red flowers (1981). Created for the exhibition British Sculpture in the Twentieth Century. Part 2: Symbol and Imagination 1951–1980 (1981–2) at London's Whitechapel Gallery, the sculpture consists of three groups of geometric forms made from wood, cement and polystyrene, and covered in pure pigment that spills over the floor. Each shape references the human physique: the three-peaked mountain in red as the body; the pair of red ellipsoids as breasts; while the boat-like form, the only yellow object of the group, suggests movement. Kapoor derived the first part of the title, 'As if to celebrate', from a Haiku poem, and the rest came from a Hindu myth in which a goddess is born out of a mountain of male gods' bodies. Several of his early sculptures, seemingly rising out of the floor or wall and coated with saturated pigments, underscore his preoccupation with blood and female anatomy.

In the following decade, Kapoor's sculptures progressively grew as he began to explore the idea of the void by constructing forms that contain cavities or disappear into the floor or wall. In the sculpture Void Field (1989)—presented at the 44^th Venice Biennale and for which he was awarded the Premio Duemila Prize—the top surfaces of sandstone blocks are pierced with a hole and filled with black pigment. Contrasting the mass of the blocks with the voids within them, Kapoor explored the tensions between presence and absence, being and non-being, and internal space and darkness. Kapoor later multiplied the scale of the void with Marsyas (2002)—commissioned for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern—by creating a hollow, trumpet-like structure out of red plastic membrane that extended over the monumental gallery space.

From the mid-1990s onwards, Kapoor increasingly used mirrored surfaces in his works, as in the three concave, stainless steel discs of Her Blood (1998), which are presented on the floor or on the wall and reflect their environment from different angles. A later work such as Blood Mirror (2000) similarly consists of a stainless disc, featuring red in its lacquered and highly polished surface. The simple concave shape in both works appears to be a void from a distance and becomes activated when the spectator steps closer to it, contorting reality to subvert his or her sense of perception.

Throughout Kapoor's works, there exists a sense of theatricality—one that requires audience participation to complete its experience. In conversation with Ocula Magazine in 2016, Kapoor said, 'There is something about the performative in a work, where the work almost switches itself on as you enter its space. I think it's terribly important because that's a conversation between a viewer and an object.' Enacting this performativity is his 'Non-Object' series of 'twisted' stainless steel sculptures that invite the spectator to walk around them and study the constantly morphing reflections. Similarly, Ishi's Light (2003)—an ovoid shell with a fibreglass exterior and a lacquered red interior—opens partially to allow the spectator into its space. The concave forms in both 'Non-Objects' and Ishi's Light seek to engage the participant's senses both optically by projecting distorted reflections and aurally by amplifying sound within their parameters.

Kapoor's public sculptures are celebrated for their monumental sizes and spectacular feats of design and engineering. In 2014, he created Descension, commissioned by the Public Art Fund for the Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York, an unconventional sculpture made of infinitely swirling water. Like many of his other works, Descension provides an aural experience as the water spiralled in and out of the ground. ArcelorMittal Orbit—completed in 2012 for London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park—has become one of London's most popular attractions for its view of the city from the 115-metre-tall tower made of red tubular steel. Cloud Gate (2004)—dedicated to Chicago's Millennium Park in 2006—exemplifies Kapoor's brand of spectacle through simple forms. The 110-ton stainless steel sculpture, nicknamed 'the Bean' for its resemblance to an upturned bean, enchants the public with its seamless surface that draws both the spectator and the environment in to become a part of its perpetually shifting reflections.

Born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, Kapoor has been living and working in London since the early 1970s, where he studied at Hornsey College of Art (1973–77) and Chelsea College of Arts (1977–78). A Turner Prize winner (1991), Kapoor has recently exhibited at Lisson Gallery, London (2017); Kukje Gallery, Seoul (2016); Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), Mexico City (2016); Château de Versailles (2015); Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (2010); and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (2008). Selected international group exhibitions include Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2014); 3^rd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (2009); Gwangju Biennale (2004); Shanghai Biennale (2001); Biennale de Lyon (2000); and Venice Biennale (1993, 1990, 1982). In 2009 he was the first living artist to be given a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Elected a Royal Academician in 1999, Kapoor was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2003 and knighted in 2013 for his services to visual arts.

"I have always been interested as an artist in that very first moment of creativity where everything is possible and nothing has actually happened. It’s a space of becoming.”

Kukje Gallery is proud to present an exhibition of recent works by the internationally renowned artist, Anish Kapoor from August 31st to October 30th. Titled Gathering Clouds, the exhibition will showcase sculptures that reflect his mastery of formal investigation and material science. This will be his third exhibition at the gallery following previous shows in 2003 and 2008. Spanning two gallery spaces, K1 and K3, the exhibit will include two unique yet related series that together further cement his reputation as a fearless interlocutor of materials and conceptual rigor. The new works showcase how Kapoor’s work explores symbolic forms and advanced engineering along with an ongoing investigation of how different materials impact reflection and distortion. 

The first and primary grouping of works is a series of his new and widely praised “twist” sculptures. Fabricated from stainless steel, these powerful works demand attention as they exhibit how force applied to mass can be captured as a manifestation of arrested movement. The artist has referred to similar bodies of work as Non- Objects (2013 -14), referring to the in-between state where the internal geometry of a thing and its surface combine to interrupt the object’s legibility, conspiring in its own disappearance. The twists resemble both symbols and bodies in space, evoking ancient mathematical axioms or manifestation of engineering; machined from solid blocks of steel, they shape an inchoate mass of metal into powerful but precise forms that twist in an unspecified number of degrees, without ever amounting to a full 90 degree turn. For the most part Kapoor’s twists resemble abstract volume as personified in geometry or the movement famously embodied in Baroque allegory. Kapoor taps into the same effect that Baroque architects achieved in their buildings by freezing radical movement and oblique planes. 

These works seem to be held in a kind of suspended animation, their volume offset by the lightness and tensile fragility of their polished surface. Flawless, they nevertheless retain a glimmer of instability, conveying to the viewer an intimacy and physicality that is inexhaustible. Approximately 60 centimeters in height, the twelve twists will be displayed on pedestals in K1 while the three larger twists, measuring 2.5 meters, rest directly on the floor in K3. Alternating on these two levels, the twists fill their respective galleries, creating a kind of hallowed hall wherein one walks and is flanked by these silent but activated bodies. 

In addition to the twists, Kapoor will show the work Gathering Clouds. Titled sequentially I to IV, it consists of wall-mounted and pigment-coated fiberglass discs—a concave form often explored by the artist such as in his celebrated work Sky Mirror—that evoke a mysterious, unfathomable darkness. These powerful and poetic shapes resist easy interpretation, alternating the focus on surface and depth, exploring the emotional contours of whoever is looking at them. Kapoor has utilized intense monochromatic hues in many of his works ranging from L’origine du monde (2004) to the monumental Leviathan (2011). By skillfully balancing surfaces with expertly manipulated geometrical forms, the artist is able to transform the space, thereby, inducing a physical and emotional experience in the viewer. 

Anish Kapoor was born in 1954, Mumbai, India, and travelled to England in 1972 where he studied sculpture at Hornsey College of Art and then Chelsea College of Arts. Anish Kapoor represented Britain in the 44th Venice Biennale in 1990, winning the Premio Duemila. Kapoor was also awarded the Turner Prize, Britain’s most prestigious art award, in 1991. His seminal projects include large site-specific installations at the garden of the Palace of Versailles (2015), Cloud Gate (2004) at Millennium Park in Chicago and Marsyas (2002) at the Tate Modern in London. Kapoor’s work can be found in many prominent public collections, notably the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, Fondazione Prada in Milan, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. 

Beyer Projects is a 'concept to completion' publisher of sculpture and artist editions.

We specialise in early-phase engagement with artists, to assist in everything from realising a napkin-sketched idea to replicating fully rendered maquettes. We invest in our collaborations through project funding, extensive research and development, comprehensive production supervision, and placement of works in museums or private collections. Since 1998, our ability to produce technically challenging works on rigorous deadlines has helped artists stretch their practices in new directions.

Kukje Gallery has been a pivotal cultural hub in Seoul, Korea since its inception in 1982. Kukje Gallery is located in the heart of Samcheong-dong, a historically and culturally significant district. The gallery boasts three unique buildings, each titled according to its age: K1, K2, and K3. K2 opened in 2007 to celebrate the gallery’s 25th anniversary, and K3 opened in 2012 to commemorate its 30th anniversary.

Committed to showcasing both international and Korean artists, Kukje is widely celebrated for its diverse and ambitious programming. Specializing in modern and contemporary art, Kukje is often the first venue in Korea to present prominent artists, and major exhibitions have been staged to introduce leading international artists such as Anthony Caro, Anselm Kiefer, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois, Donald Judd, Anish Kapoor, Bill Viola, Roni Horn, Candida Höfer, Julian Opie, Paul McCarthy, Jenny Holzer, Eva Hesse and Jean-Michel Othoniel.

In conjunction with its focus on international artists, Kukje is committed to promoting Korean artists abroad, introducing artists such as Haegue Yang, Kimsooja, Gimhongsok, Kyungah Ham, Yeondoo Jung, Sora Kim and Jae-Eun Choi at major art fairs around the world. Just as importantly, Kukje has made a strong commitment to post-war Korean artists including Ha Chong-Hyun, Lee Ufan, Chung Chang-Sup, Kwon Young-Woo, Park Seo-Bo, and Chung Sang-Hwa. In particular, Kukje has played a critical role in introducing Korean artists to important collectors, museums and cultural venues around the world, and many Korean artists supported by Kukje Gallery have exhibited in international biennials and major museum exhibitions.

These projects along with the gallery’s ambitious and scholarly exhibition catalogues and ongoing lecture series are what make Kukje a significant contributor in shaping Korea’s cultural landscape. Building on its unmatched reputation, Kukje continues to play a key role in developing the domestic art market as well as providing an important venue for introducing international trends.

Lisson Gallery is one of the most influential and longest-running international contemporary art galleries in the world. Today the gallery supports and develops 61 international artists across two exhibition spaces in London and two in New York as well as its new space in Shanghai. Established in 1967 by Nicholas Logsdail, Lisson Gallery pioneered the early careers of important Minimal and Conceptual artists, such as Art & Language, Carl Andre, Daniel Buren, Donald Judd, John Latham, Sol LeWitt, Richard Long and Robert Ryman among many others. It still works with many of these artists as well as other artists of that generation from Carmen Herrera to the renowned estates of Leon Polk Smith, Ted Stamm and Roy Colmer.

In its second decade the gallery introduced significant British sculptors to the public for the first time, including Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Anish Kapoor, Shirazeh Houshiary and Julian Opie. Since 2000, the gallery has gone on to represent many more leading international artists such as Marina Abramović, Ai Weiwei, John Akomfrah, Susan Hiller and Tatsuo Miyajima. It is also responsible for raising the international profile of a younger generation of artists led by Cory Arcangel, Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, Ryan Gander, Haroon Mirza, Laure Prouvost, Pedro Reyes and Wael Shawky.

 

Paragon Press was launched in 1986 and has since published over 100 projects involving some of the most renowned contemporary artists.

The artists are selected by Charles Booth-Clibborn, founder of Paragon and are invited to create a project in the form of a series or portfolio of prints. Many of the artists have previously had little or no exposure to printmaking. 

Paragon works with a number of different print studios both in the UK and on the Continent to suit the artist's requirements. It is intended that the nature of the commission will stimulate a significant work of art in print by the chosen artist.

Paragon has placed its projects with important museums and contemporary art collations around the world.

SCAI THE BATHHOUSE is a contemporary art gallery known for introducing Japan's avant-garde artists to the world as well as for helping exceptional artists from abroad to establish a presence in Japan. SCAI has a strong track-record of large-scale exhibitions presenting artists such as Lee Ufan and Tadanori Yokoo who led the genesis of Japanese contemporary art, and Toshikatsu Endo, Tatsuo Miyajima, and Mariko Mori who brought Japanese contemporary art to the world's attention in the latter half of the '80s and the '90s by showing their works in international exhibitions. Through their association with SCAI, international artists such as Anish Kapoor and Julian Opie have produced new series of works inspired by Japanese traditional culture and crafts.

SCAI also works to discover and promote young artists. Recent successes include stars of international biennales and of well-acclaimed exhibitions at major art museums, such as Kohei Nawa, Nobuko Tsuchiya, Toru Kamiya, Katsuhiro Saiki, Jeppe Hein, Dzine, and Brian Alfred.

In addition to gallery exhibitions, SCAI has also been responsible for numerous site-specific projects, including public art by Tatsuo Miyajima and Louise Bourgeois at Roppongi Hills, and Julian Opie's commissioned work at Omotesando Hills.

SCAI THE BATHHOUSE opened in 1993 with the completion of the renovation of Kashiwayu, a venerable public bath with a 200-year history. The outside of the bathhouse possesses an elegant atmosphere, with its tiled roof and towering chimney. Take one step inside and you find yourself in a very unique exhibition area, a neutral space with white walls, a concrete floor and natural light descending from the high ceiling. Located in the traditional shitamachi (downtown) Yanaka district, SCAI THE BATHHOUSE lies in middle of an art zone, conveniently close to Ueno where many museums and art universities can be found. The gallery is a six-minute walk from the South Exit of JR Yamanote Nippori Station, and a seven-minute walk from Nezu Station on the Chiyoda Line.

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