Anish Kapoor

The future of art is here - get the bong ready

By JOHN BARERA

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Our urban landscape can be a bit dreary. All one needs to do to liven things up is drop a giant, shiny, elephant-sized bean smack dab in the center of the city.

Enter Amish Kapoor, the Indian-born sculptor who brought life to that idea in Chicago with his 2004 work Cloud Gate—the sculpture that became an integral part of the Windy City. Its reflective 110-ton mass is a sparkling example of Kapoor's unique talent in creating artwork that engages viewers, interacts with them and creates the feeling that they are physically enveloped.

Made from the same polished stainless steel, and possessing the same reflexive quality as Cloud Gate, is 2006's S-Curve, currently on display at the ICA. The work creates a screen of sorts, displaying interesting abstractions of viewers as they walk by. This use of skewed perception and monumental scale threads through many of the artist's works. Perched boldly in the center of the gallery, this piece demonstrates one of the most profound elements of his work—screwing with the viewer's head.

Born and raised in Mumbai (then known as Bombay), Kapoor moved to London to study art at the age of 19. Coming to prominence in the early '80s, alongside a group of emerging English artists such as Richard Deacon and Anthony Gormley, Kapoor became known for pushing sculpture in new directions, challenging its borders and materials.

The use of endless depth, inspired by human body cavities, also frequently appears in Kapoor's work. My Body, Your Body, from 1993, presents a deep blue rectangular canvas, but on a closer look, a seemingly infinite void is revealed. His mastery of his ideas is achieved, surprisingly, without heavy reliance on computers nor mathematics, but rather through drawings, his team of capable assistants and the element of chance. He consistently keeps his audience poking their heads further inside the artwork, much to the dismay of museum security.

One of the highlights of Kapoor's work remains the reaction it provokes. Chief ICA curator Nicholas Baume has provided a very thoughtful sampling of the artist's career, highlighting the rich interconnection between the artworks. Baume had his hands full coordinating the show's 14 pieces. "We had to install a special barn door and use a crane to bring in one sculpture," he says. Fortunately, Kapoor's artwork was large enough to cover the hole.

ANISH KAPOOR: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

UNTIL 9.7.08

GALLERY HOURS

TUE-WED 10AM-5PM

THU-FRI 10AM-9PM

SAT-SUN 10AM-5PM

INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART

100 NORTHERN AVE., BOSTON

617.478.3100

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