Conceptual art “emerged in the late sixties as an idea-based art and heralded the disappearance of the object as necessary a component in art” (Morgan 1996). I think that Kapoor’s work is conceptual. At the Royal Academy of Arts 2009 Kapoor discusses his work as being “not fully formed, I think that the whole notion of being an artist today is that it is a kind of discovery and that one takes on different but related ideas”. This can be related to works such as Svayambh a huge block of wax that has formed its shape by being pushed through the gallery doors. “The process reveals all that is needed to be revealed” Kappor (2009).
2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.
Memory by Anish Kapoor was presented at the Guggenheim as part of the Deutsche Bank Series. Kapoor was inspired by the Guggenheim’s structure and passage. Working within a tight space the gallery was separated into 3 different viewing points. The first view point of just the exterior of the work, the second an opening into the interior that on first appearances comes off as 2 dimensional. The third again the exterior but you are able to see just how big the work really is. Kapoor explains that “that notion of hiding parts of a procession is what the work is trying to do” Kapoor 2009. The form is made from steel that has a ribbed system. Working with this new material as it rust it changes colour from a powdery orange to a chocolate brown. “the fact the artist is not giving you an object that can be perceived as a whole, it’s truly fragmented, it’s really preventing you from getting an experience of the object in one felt swoop, that is the meaning behind memory” Sandhini 2009. What I like about this work is that you have to really engage with the work to really understand it. The fact that the art isn’t presented to you as a whole keeps you thinking about it.
The work Levain at Grande Palais Paris is about working with light and trying to turn the building inside out. It refers to a monster with no sort of form which says we can all relate to as having inside us. Levain is 38 metres in height, measuring 100 metres long and 70 metres wide working with the volume of the building. The use of colour associates with the body and that you are walking into a dark bodily space. Like most of Kapoor’s work there is no meaning with a narrative. I like how Kapoor associated the volume of the space with the object as the space is a part of the art. The structure is huge in comparison with the small human figures that walk inside it.
Orbit by Anish Kapoor is a 120 metre tall tower that people can climb which will be situated at the 2012 Olympic Park. This steel structure will be Britain’s biggest piece of public art. Inspired by the tower this work will be made out of 1,400 tonnes of steel and cost $19.1m to make. The piece will be officially named ArcelorMittai Orbit after the person funding the project who is also the richest man in Europe. There is movement and instability “using a traditional kind of engineering, but putting it together in a completely new way”. Kapoor (n.d). Kapoor is collaborating with one of the best engineers in the world Cecil Balmond. What I like about the work is that you will be able to climb it. You can really engage with the work. It will define London just as other structures across the world define the cities they are in. For example New York and The Statute of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
3.Discuss the large scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.
4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?
The work is a combination of fabric made of PVC-coated polyester, cables and steel. Located in Kaipara Bay on a private estate outdoor art gallery “The Farm” is made to withstand winds from the Tasman Sea referred to “rather like a flayer skin” Kapoor (n.d). The Farm cuts into a beautiful New Zealand hillside one sphere on a tilt whilst the other rest down on the ground. The structure works as an installation commissioned by Alan Gibbs and his wife Jenny who have a very impressive art collection dating back to the 1960s. The work engages with the scenery which is important because both Alan and his wife only spend 3 months of the year on the estate. You are able to see these spectacular views of the bay that surrounds the area.
5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?
My favourite Kapoor work is Memory. I am personally attracted to the ideas of the work. The way in which he broke the gallery up into three different viewing points and that you could get a different experience from each was interesting. The structure of teh object was huge so working within a space would have also been challenging. I liked the fact that you have to really engage with the work to really understand it. The Architecture and detail that would have gone into a structure like this would have taken allot of planning.
References:
Foss, P (May2009). Anish Kapoor Regen Projects , Art in America, P161-162
Anish Kapoor (n.d). Retrieved August 26th,2011, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anish_Kapoor
Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy (24.09.2009). Retrieved August 26th, 2011, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umVSGErfg8E
"Anish Kapoor: Memory" (09.06.2009). Retrieved August 26th, 2011, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-wL06rp_hI
A Look at Kapoor's sculpture for London 2012 Olympics (31.03.2010). Retrieved August 26th, 2011, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An60H5a1OMs&feature=related
Anish Kapoor sculpture blends fabric and steel in New Zealand (2010). Retrieved August 26th, 2011, from
http://fabricarchitecturemag.com/articles/0110_sk_sculpture.html
The Farm: Alan Gibbs-businessman, collector and artists' accomplice (n.d). Retrieved fAugust 26th, 2011, from
http://www.robgarrettcfa.com/thefarm.htm
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