Anish... as promised

Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy, what can I say? ... Wow. We got to go to the exhibition a couple of days after it had opened and it was still buzzing. (apologies again about how long it has taken me to write the review.) On arrival at the Academy you get greeted with the first and only photograph friendly sculpture, Tall tree and the eye. Made up of mirrored bubble like pieces it reflects all that is around it and is truly beautiful.


Tall Tree and the Eye, 2009.

Exhibition was amazing and there was lots to see and react to, every 20 minutes the wax machine flung a cartridge of wax at the corner of one of the rooms, which was quite amazing to watch, even though it did make you jump. My favourite piece was the big yellow hole in the wall, entitled Yellow, 1999 yellow isn't a colour I particularly like but the overwhelming shape and size of the piece made me extremely happy and there was nothing I wanted more than to climb inside it and curl up in fetal position.

Yellow, 1999



The mirror hall was definitely an experience and even though it made you feel quite sick at the point when you where the distance from the mirror between normality and distortion, I found it to be a quite fitting social comment on the idea of wanting to look different compared to how you actually look, and that point of change, your will or your insecurities reflected making you feel ill, though it was probably was not the idea Anish Kapoor intended. On a non artsy view the mirror room was quite amusing and each piece seemed constantly surrounded by people trying them out for size.

Svayambh (above) which means self generated, was the wax block that moved through the exhibition from room to room being shaped by the doorways that it passes through and leaving its trace on those doorways that shape it. It was immense and I was giddily fast-walking through the gallery to see if from all angles, and up close to see it moving and squeezing into the new room. Overwhelmed with the urge to touch it, I had to have a sneaky touch at the end of the track in the final room, where you can get a bit of tissue (I think they realised that it was too overwhelming for most people).


There is so much more I haven't mentioned, but if you haven't already, definitely go and see it!! As a student you get a ticket for £8 (full price ticket £12) and free educational hand out too (just ask at the reception desk). It is my favourite solo exhibition all year and it made me feel like a schoolchild at a sweet shop! I wanted to touch and climb and to run around the gallery, I did behave though- honest!!

Please comment and let me know what you thought of the exhibition and if you like the article.

Loz xx