Anish Kapoor Is a One-Trick Illusionist
What does the British artist have to offer beyond monumental scale and costly optical illusions?
Anish Kapoor is renowned for his large-scale, awe-inspiring sculptures that evoke a sense of monumentality, utilizing his signature red and chrome palette. However, his current exhibition at the Hayward Gallery fails to deliver on this front. The centerpiece, "All of Nothing" (2026), a giant red blood cell, succeeds in filling the expansive space but underscores how small the surrounding environment appears in comparison.
The subsequent galleries showcase Kapoor's so-called greatest hits, which consist of clever illusions relying on optical confusion. These works draw inspiration from Kapoor's Vantablack series, created over the past three decades, which has seen a noticeable decline in creativity. Among these, "Untitled" (1992) features a sandstone monolith punctured by a doorway, while "Descent into Limbo" (1992) represents a cartoon-like hole in the floor.
Another work from 2026, a pseudo-rip in the wall, appears half-baked and could have been a curator's solution to occupy gallery space. Reflective mirrors are scattered throughout the exhibition, a common feature in art fairs that has contributed to Kapoor's financial success and enabled him to create his large-scale works. Outside the gallery, "Tsunami III" (2025), a reflective stainless steel curve installed with the help of a crane, exemplifies Kapoor's preference for big, shiny, and monochromatic pieces.
Inside, other installations diverge from the traditional sculpture format. Massive red beans wedged into brutalist concrete pillars, and "Plastic Sacrifice I, II and III" (2026), a series of red-splattered entrails wrapped in taut plastic sheeting, challenge visual comprehension with their unique texture and appearance. The room is divided by "Mount Moriah at the Gate of Ghetto" (2022), an inverted topographical crest with red and black wax peaks that creates an oppressive atmosphere.
The exhibition takes a step away from sculpture, with digital prints like "The Dark" (2021) that look like a high school student's impression of a hellish chasm and imagery reminiscent of existing motifs, suggesting that Kapoor's work loses its profoundness when not centered around sculptural effects. Kapoor's work shares similarities with Jeff Koons in terms of commanding high prices and utilizing resources to push technological boundaries; however, Koons lacks accountability as a pop artist, focusing on shallow ideas, while Kapoor aims for grand themes of life, death, and various other concepts.
The most impactful artwork in the exhibition is the video art by fellow Indian-born artist Kulpreet Singh, titled "Indelible Black Marks" (2022–24), which tackles real-world issues of climate change and agricultural crises.
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