Gallery Hopping: Anish Kapoor Presents the ‘Non-Object’ at Lisson Gallery

Anish Kapoor, installation view. Courtesy of Lisson Galley, Milan.

Sculptor Anish Kapoor’s current show at Lisson Gallery in Milan consists of 14 stainless steel pieces each twisted in unspecific manners. While the sculptures are abstract, some of them have recognizable features, resembling letters or familiar shapes and objects.

Kapoor is perhaps best known for his public sculptures, such as Chicago’s Cloud Gate in Millennium Park, or his controversial show last year at the Palace of Versailles. Although his sculptures on view at Lisson Gallery are more humble in size, they imitate the experimentation with shape and color that Kapoor utilizes in many of his large-scale works.

The twists at Lisson Gallery measure about 30 centimeters (or 1 foot) in height, with the exception of one larger sculpture measuring 100 centimeters (3.2 feet), which is located on the terrace of the gallery. All the sculptures look grounded, as they are mounted on thick pedestals that create unexpected interplays within the space. Both the sculptures’ reflective surfaces and their convex/concave geometries embody Kapoor’s concept of the “non-object”—the ability of an object’s physical appearance to cause is own disappearance.

Anish Kapoor, installation view courtesy of Lisson Galley, Milan.

Anish Kapoor, installation view courtesy of Lisson Galley, Milan.

Anish Kapoor, installation view courtesy of Lisson Galley, Milan.

Anish Kapoor’s exhibition is on view at Lisson Gallery, Milan until July 22, 2016.