Anish Kapoor

Galleria Massimo Minini, Brescia
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1996

Milan, Fondazione Prada, Anish Kapoor, 1995, p. 193, illustrated in colour
Tilburg, De Pont Foundation for Contemporary Art, Anish Kapoor, 1995, p. 37, illustrated in colour 

David Anfam, Anish Kapoor, London 2009, p. 245, illustrated in colour
Exhibition Catalogue, Manchester, City Art Gallery and traveling, Anish Kapoor: Flashback, 2011-2012, illustrated on the front cover (detail) and p. 51, illustrated in colour
Germano Celant, Anish Kapoor, Milan 1998, pp. 192-193, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good original condition. Close inspection reveals a few small specks of oxidisation in places. The scattered surface imperfections, pitting and light abrasions in places are in keeping with the artist's choice of materials and inherent to the fabrication process.
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Untitled is a remarkable example of Anish Kapoor’s exploration of the void: a remarkable manifestation of the sculptor’s long-running investigation into the potential of interior versus exterior space. Embedded within a surrounding wall, Untitled appears to shine with an almost unearthly radiance, imbuing the adjacent area with a bright, silvery light. The circular aperture at the centre of the mirrored rectangle acts as the locus of the installation, inexorably drawing the eye inwards. In a recent interview, Kapoor, spoke of his desire to reconcile interior and exterior form, “Space is often perceived as an external phenomenon, something outside the body… For every concrete object there is an equal non-object, a dark and mysterious one. The space at the back of the cave” (the artist, cited in an interview with Donna De Salvo in: David Anfam, Ed., Anish Kapoor, London, 2010, p. 403). In the manner of Lucio Fontana’s legendary Tagli and Buchi works, in which the canvas is penetrated in a quest to move beyond the confines of traditional spatiality, Kapoor similarly strives to unlock the possibilities of previously unexplored dimensional planes within Untitled, achieved through the astonishing manipulation of the material. Empty space beckons from within the circle, alive with possibilities: a hidden universe of which we are privileged to catch only a glimpse. The central opening invites associations with the cosmic vastness of a black hole or singularity, into the velvety depths of which the bronze seems to melt slowly, twisting inwards as though impelled by some irresistible centrifugal force.  The assault upon the conventional flat surface of the wall, which becomes an integral part of the work, ensures that Untitledexerts a profound effect on its ambient environment, altering the surrounding space in an actual as well as metaphysical sense. The result is an installation of astounding power and impact, in which Kapoor’s major ideals and concerns are brilliantly encapsulated.

The concept of the void has been of major significance for Kapoor throughout his career to date, with the inherent potential of emptiness acting as a key creative spur, “The void is not silent. I have always thought of it more and more as a transitional space, an in-between space. It’s very much to do with time. I have always been interested as an artist in how one can somehow look again for the very first moment of creativity where everything is possible and nothing has actually happened” (the artist, cited in conversation with Homi K. Bhabha in: Exhibition Catalogue, London, Hayward Gallery, Anish Kapoor, 1998, p. 35). This idea of the ‘first moment of creativity’ evokes associations with the ancient Origin Myth as well as the corresponding connotations of the circle as signifier of the womb, source of all life. The circular opening at the centre of Untitled is thus infused with multiple layers of meaning and representation, becoming a powerful vehicle of allegory and symbol.

 Kapoor’s works take us on an intellectual journey of discovery and possibility: the intimate engagement of the viewer with any of his installations is of key importance to the sculptor. Kapoor has declared that he aims to introduce a ‘reverie’ within the onlooker, “I think the real subject for me, if there is one, is the sublime… if one is looking at a Friedrich painting of a figure looking at the sunset, then one is having one’s reverie in terms of their experience… it is my wish to make that distance shorter so that the reverie is direct” (the artist cited in: Rainer Crone and Alexandra von Stosch, Anish Kapoor, Munich, 2008, pp. 27-8). Untitled truly succeeds in transporting the viewer away from the everyday concerns of their immediate environment, inducing a feeling of meditative calm that invites contemplation on a profoundly spiritual level.