Anish Kapoor’s artistic research centers on the exploration of void, negative space, and the interplay between form and emptiness. His work investigates how viewers perceive depth, light, and the boundaries between physical presence and absence. In the 1980s, he created biomorphic sculptures coated with powdered pigment that referenced ancient mythologies and the relationship between physical and spiritual worlds. From the 1990s onward, he progressively monumentalized his work, constructing forms that contain cavities or disappear into floors and walls to make the void tangible.
He has consistently experimented with materials including stone, wax, fiberglass, PVC, concave and convex mirrors, and highly polished stainless steel that reflects the viewer and surroundings. His exploration of blackness led to his controversial acquisition of exclusive rights to Vantablack—the darkest pigment that absorbs almost all light—in 2016.
In recent years, Kapoor has incorporated carbon nanotechnology and aerospace milling machines into his work, pushing the boundaries of sculpture between painting and architecture while maintaining his philosophical focus on the moment when “a hole becomes a space full of what isn’t there”.
AWARDS
1992 London (uk), WILLIAM TURNER PRIZE
1989 Venice (it), PREMIO DUEMILA Best Young Artist
EXHIBITIONS
2026 London (uk), HAYWARD GALLERY
2026 Serlachius (fi), SERLACHIUS MUSEUM
2026 Venice (it), PALAZZO MANFRIN
2026 Duisburg (de), WILHELM LEHMBRUCK MUSEUM
2026 New York (us), LISSON GALLERY
2026 Savannah (us), SCAD MUSEUM OF ART
2025 Guimarães (pt), CAAA
2025 Ishøj (dk), ARKEN MUSEUM
2024 São Paulo (br), CIDADE MATARAZZO
2024 Liverpool (uk), LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL
2023 Florence (it), PALAZZO STROZZI
2022 Venice (it), GALLERIE DELL’ACCADEMIA
2021 Oxford (uk), MODERN ART OXFORD
2021 Shenzhen (cn), MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
2020 Norfolk (uk), HOUGHTON HALL
2020 Munich (de), PINAKOTHEK DER MODERNE
2019 Buenos Aires (ar), FUNDACIÓN PROA
2019 Beijing (cn), CENTRAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
2019 Santiago (cl), CORPARTES
2019 London (uk), PIZHANGER MANOR
2018 Porto (pt), SERRALVES MUSEUM
2017 New York (us), BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK
2017 Buenos Aires (ar), PARQUE DE LA MEMORIA
2017 Bologna (it), MAST FOUNDATION
2016 Mexico City (mx), MUAC
2016 Eveux (fr), COUVENT DE LA TOURETTE
2015 Versailles (fr), CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES
2015 Moscow (ru), JEWISH MUSEUM MOSCOW
2015 Amsterdam (nl), RIJKSMUSEUM
Since 1980 regular exhibition activities
CIVILIAN HONORS
2013 KNIGHTHOOD (uk) Knight Bachelor for services to visual arts
2013 BADMAH BUSHAN (in) India’s third-highest civilian honor
2011 COMMANDER, Order des Arts et des Lettres (fr), French honor for significant contributions to arts and literature
ACADEMIA
2014 Oxford (uk), UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, Dr.(hc)
1994 Leeds (uk), UNIVERSITY OF Leeds, Dr.(hc)
1999 London (uk), ROYAL ACACDEMIAN (RA)
1978 London (uk), CHELESEA SCHOOL OF ART, MA
1977 London (uk), HORNSEY COLLEGE OF ART, BA
BIO
Based in London (uk)
1972 Moved to London (uk)
1954 Born Bombay (in)
LINKS
CREDIT
AUTHOR Bettina Pelz
PUBLISHED 14 JUN 26