Anish Kapoor, Matter and Perception

Almost thirty years after his first major UK exhibition, Anish Kapoor returns to London’s Hayward Gallery with a show occupying the entire building and its terraces. On view until 18 October 2026 and curated by Ralph Rugoff, the exhibition brings together historical works and recent pieces, revisiting themes that have shaped the artist’s practice for more than four decades: the void, the perception of space, the relationship between surface and depth, and the transformation of matter. Born in Mumbai in 1954 and based in Britain since the 1970s, Kapoor studied at Hornsey College of Art and Chelsea School of Art. In 1990 he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale and the following year won the Turner Prize. His work encompasses sculpture, installation and large-scale public projects, often using materials and devices that alter the viewer’s perception. His best-known public works include Cloud Gate in Chicago, the large reflective sculpture commonly known as The Bean, and Sky Mirror, produced in several versions. At the Hayward Gallery, several recurring elements of Kapoor’s work come into focus. Polished steel sculptures distort and invert images of their surroundings; black surfaces absorb light to the point of making volume and depth difficult to perceive; openings and cavities transform apparently simple forms into spaces whose dimensions are not immediately apparent. The exhibition also includes works made with Vantablack, a material developed using carbon nanotubes and characterised by its extremely high capacity to absorb light. Alongside these investigations are recent paintings and sculptures in which matter takes on a more physical character. Red, a colour Kapoor has used since the beginning of his career, returns in large installations and organic forms, with references to the body, blood and internal organs. Works on display include Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto from 2022, Tsunami from 2025, and the new installations Ha Makom and All of Nothing, both from 2026. The exhibition moves between reflective surfaces, black forms, cavities, paintings and large red structures, using walls, floors and ceilings as integral parts of the works. It also marks a return to an important venue in Kapoor’s career: in 1998, the Hayward Gallery staged the first major public survey of his work in the UK.