NEW YORK—Anish Kapoor has transformed Gladstone Gallery into a forest of concrete, creating a mesmerizing environment composed of sprawling, gray sculptures. The 22 towering works are textured, intriguing curiosities. Kapoor manages to employ a dense, weighty material to create organic forms. At once elegant and ugly, Kapoor constructed the works using poured concrete administered through a cement gun. The natural, snaking flow of the material dictated the loose, stacked spirals of the sculptures which are staged on metal palettes. The installation is part of a pair of exhibits Kapoor is showing at Gladstone.
Born in Bombay, Kapoor lives and works in London where he just completed the design and construction of ArcelorMittal Orbit, Britain’s largest public work to date for the 2012 Olympics. Created with Cecil Balmond and standing more than 375-feet tall in Olympic Park, the steel structure is outfitted with a lift that will transport ticket holders to the top and then give them the option of using its 455-step spiral staircase to descend.
His concrete sculptures are on view at Gladstone on 24th Street from May 5 to June 9, 2012. The complementary exhibit is at the gallery’s 21st Street location during the same period.
All photos by Arts Observer
