Anish Kapoor: Flashback
Longside Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK
Through 4 November 2012
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG
Yorkshire Sculpture Park's website: www.ysp.co.uk
The Arts Council Collection's website: www.artscouncilcollection.org.uk
Longside Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK
Through 4 November 2012
Anish Kapoor, White Sand, Red Millet, Many Flowers, 1982
Wood, cement and pigment
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London
© Anish Kapoor
Flashback is a major series of touring exhibitions from the Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre. Taking as its starting point the Collection’s founding principle of supporting emerging artists through the purchase of their work, the series showcases internationally renowned British artists whose works have been acquired by the Collection. The monographic exhibitions combine works from the Collection with new pieces borrowed directly from the artists, giving a unique insight into the evolution of these key figures in British art. Following on from the success of the first Flashback exhibition of work by Bridget Riley, the second artist in the series of monographic exhibitions is renowned artist and Turner Prize winner, Anish Kapoor.
Anish Kapoor, Longside Gallery.
Courtesy of Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Photo © Jonty Wilde
Anish Kapoor’s sensual and beguiling sculptures are created using a range of materials including pigment, stone, polished stainless steel and wax. Following on from the critical acclaim of his show at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2009, this Flashback exhibition gives an opportunity to explore Kapoor’s earlier works alongside recent pieces lent directly by the artist. The exhibition includes a selection of major sculptures on loan from UK collections, and from the Arts Council Collection. This is the first survey of Kapoor's work to be held in the UK, outside of London.
Anish Kapoor, Untitled, 1995
Stainless steel
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London.
Acquired with the assistance from The Henry Moore Foundation, 1998
© Anish Kapoor
The show is selected by the artist in close dialogue with the Arts Council Collection and includes works such as White Sand, Red Millet, Many Flowers (1982) which demonstrates Kapoor’s early interest in applying raw pigment to a range of organic forms. The sculpture was acquired by the Arts Council Collection the same year and has been lent to many major institutions as a key example of his early work. Alongside this, the optically illusionary Untitled (1997-98) is a highlypolished stainless steel void embedded into the wall that draws the viewer into a seemingly bottomless reflection and is emblematic of the seamless mirrored forms that have made Kapoor a household name. The exhibition includes the large-scale installation Her Blood (1998) shown for the first time in the UK.
Anish Kapoor, Red in the Centre, 1982
© National Museums Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery.
Photo © Jonty Wilde - Courtesy of YSP
Anish Kapoor, Untitled, 1983
© Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh.
Photo © Jonty Wilde - Courtesy of YSP
The exhibition is toured by Hayward Touring Exhibitions. It was seen at Manchester Art Gallery (5 March - 5 June 2011) before touring to the Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art (Edinburgh Festival, Summer 2011), Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery (19 November 2011 - 11 March 2012) and Longside Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park (16 June - 4 November 2012).
Anish Kapoor: Flashback - An illustrated exhibition catalogue was published, including an essay by Michael Bracewell and an interview with Anish Kapoor by Andrew Renton.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG
Yorkshire Sculpture Park's website: www.ysp.co.uk
The Arts Council Collection's website: www.artscouncilcollection.org.uk
