Anish Kapoor

In the autumn of 2009, the Royal Academy of Arts will hold a major solo exhibition of the internationally acclaimed artist and 1991 Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor. Kapoor is regarded as one of the most influential and pioneering sculptors of his generation and is celebrated for works which enter into a profound spiritual engagement with the viewer such as the early pigment sculptures; 1000 Names (1979-80), Marsyas (2002) part of the Unilever Series at the Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, and Sky Mirror, installed at the Rockefeller Centre, New York in 2006.

This exhibition will survey Kapoor’s career to date as well as showcase new and previously unseen works. One of the highlights of the exhibition will be the monumental work Svayambh, (a Sanskrit word which roughly translates as "auto-generated"). The work has the appearance of a vast mass of wax that moves almost imperceptibly on sunken rails leaving a residue in its wake as it traverses the breadth of Burlington House. This emblematic work reflects Kapoor’s exploration of sculptural works that actively participate in their own formation. Another highlight of the exhibition is Shooting into the Corner (2009), which will be displayed in the Large Weston and Small Weston Rooms. A cannon will shoot projectiles of red wax into a corner at regular intervals. Relentlessly repeating this action, the work will evolve over the duration of the exhibition as the build up of wax takes on its own form against the walls and the floor of the galleries. The spectacle surrounding the firing of the cannon and the accumulation of the wax produces a work of extraordinary complexity and drama.

Also included in the exhibition will be a group of early pigment pieces, stainless steel reflective sculptures as well as newly created works, including a major new sculpture, which will be sited in the Annenberg Courtyard.

BIOGRAPHY Born in India, 1954, Anish Kapoor studied at Hornsey College of Art, London (1973 – 1977) and at Chelsea School of Art, London (1977 – 1978).

Kapoor’s first solo exhibition was held at Patrice Alexandre, Paris in 1980. His international reputation was quickly established, with an array of solo exhibitions held in countries around the world. Kapoor represented Britain in the Paris Biennale in 1982, and again in 1990 at the Venice Biennale, for which he was awarded Premio Duemila. The following year he won the prestigious Turner Prize Award. Anish Kapoor has recently acted as Guest Artistic Director of the Brighton Festival 2009.

Kapoor was elected Royal Academician in 1999 and has been awarded Honorary Fellowships by the London Institute and Leeds University (1997), University of Wolverhampton (1999) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (2001). He lives and works in London.

ORGANISATION The exhibition is curated by the independent curator Jean de Loisy in conjunction with Dr Adrian Locke, Exhibitions Curator, Royal Academy of Arts. The exhibition is organised by the Royal Academy of Arts in partnership with the Lisson Gallery, London, Gladstone Gallery, New York, and Anish Kapoor Studio.

Anish Kapoor
Kuratoren: Jean de Loisy, Adrian Locke