Recently, on a morning with nothing on the calendar, I dropped the kids off at school, grabbed a coffee and headed to visit the National Gallery of Modern Art. I had heard from several friends that the exhibition by Anish Kapoor was one to check out.
Anish Kapoor was born in Bombay in 1954 and left India in 1973. His work is most definitely contemporary and he encourages and suggests that there are great relationships to be found between his work and the human component of the pieces being viewed.
Some of his crazy impressive pieces include Cloud Gate (a/k/a The Bean) in Chicago, Marsyas (ten stories high!) and Dismemberment Stage 1 which is permanently affixed inside The Farm (you really DO have to click the link about The Farm!). The Farm is owned by Alan Gibbs, located in New Zealand and is a 1,000 acre wonder land of animals (giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, yaks, etc.), giant works of art, Aquada cars and overall amazing-ness.
Check out this invitation for an upcoming event ... makes me wish we were "in the area" !!
This one, titled Sky Mirror 2010 seems to be displayed in a completely different way than is intended? Even the NGMA website shows it on the ground, instead of so high that you can't see anything in the disc besides gray skies.
Anish Kapoor was born in Bombay in 1954 and left India in 1973. His work is most definitely contemporary and he encourages and suggests that there are great relationships to be found between his work and the human component of the pieces being viewed.
Some of his crazy impressive pieces include Cloud Gate (a/k/a The Bean) in Chicago, Marsyas (ten stories high!) and Dismemberment Stage 1 which is permanently affixed inside The Farm (you really DO have to click the link about The Farm!). The Farm is owned by Alan Gibbs, located in New Zealand and is a 1,000 acre wonder land of animals (giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, yaks, etc.), giant works of art, Aquada cars and overall amazing-ness.
Check out this invitation for an upcoming event ... makes me wish we were "in the area" !!
This one, titled Sky Mirror 2010 seems to be displayed in a completely different way than is intended? Even the NGMA website shows it on the ground, instead of so high that you can't see anything in the disc besides gray skies.
Still, it was fun getting a shot of me in the huge mirror.
This was one of my favorites. The story behind it is interesting.
(taken from the NGMA website)
In 1979, after finishing his studies, Kapoor made a three week trip back to India, where piles of raw pigment in markets made a big impression. When he returned to London, he began drawing red shapes, and then used pure pigment to turn the shapes into three-dimensional forms. They are covered with a generous dusting of pigment, which spills onto the floor like a halo, radiating a powerful sense of that which is most forbidden in museums and galleries: touch.
To reflect an intimate part of the red draws a fuzzy line between abstraction and narrative. The shapes are rich in association (perhaps seed pod, breast, mosque dome or ziggurat), but they are not descriptive: Kapoor is pointing towards bigger ideas.
It is as if the motifs in a Persian carpet have been brought to life, and emerge from the floor, like clues to something beyond. Spaced proportionally from each other, there is room for the eye to wander between the separate elements, and a necessity to walk around them. There is an emphasis on the spaces ‘in-between’.
It is as if the motifs in a Persian carpet have been brought to life, and emerge from the floor, like clues to something beyond. Spaced proportionally from each other, there is room for the eye to wander between the separate elements, and a necessity to walk around them. There is an emphasis on the spaces ‘in-between’.
I found myself relishing in a morning with "nothing to do" and enjoyed my visit. Kapoor's art is not typical in the least, and encourages thought and examination. Another thing that piqued my interest was that he uses a wide variety of mediums, and many of his works are indeed, interactive.
Cameras are not allowed inside. Bags are also not allowed. They do provide lockers (free of charge), but you may feel more comfortable leaving your personal effects at home or with your driver.
Admission is Rs. 10 for Indians and Rs. 150 for foreign nationals. I did not bring my FRRO booklet with me to test whether they would honor that, and happily paid Rs 150.
When you first walk in, make your way into the dark theater for a very interesting documentary on the life and passions of Anish Kapoor. To the left and right of the theater are some displays and architectural models. Beyond the theater and in a separate building, are the main art displays.
