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Anish Kapoor's newest artwork unveiled today at the Grand Palais in Paris
Scarlet regularly plays a large part in the abstract sculpture of Anish Kapoor. The Turner Prize winning artist regularly experiments with size, form, texture and material, however an injection of colour is rarely lacking from his work. Previous examples of this can be seen in his designs for the ‘Orbit’ (a spiralling viewing tower dreamt up for the 2012 London Olympic Games), the ‘Marsyas’ sculpture in 2002, and more recently in ‘Turning the World Upside Down’ (a series of mirrored surfaces scattered throughout London’s Kensington Palace Gardens).
Kapoor’s penchant for crimson hues can now be discovered in a six week stint in the Nave at the Grand Palais in Paris, as an immense red mass expands to fit the 13,500 sq m volume. Invited by the French Ministry for Culture and Communication as part of the MONUMENTA series, Kapoor has once again created an abstract artwork in his favourite shade; as he describes it: “A single object, a single form, a single colour.”
Entitled ‘Leviathan’ – a much-feared sea monster in the Bible and one of the seven princes of Hell in Demonology – the monumental artwork dominates the internal volume of the Grand Palais. Whilst from the exterior the outer skin may appear to be a deep magenta, once erected and entered, this translucent membrane becomes a dazzling cherry-red.
The artist explains: “My ambition is to create a space within a space that responds to the height and luminosity of the Nave at the Grand Palais. Visitors will be invited to walk inside the work, to immerse themselves in colour, and it will, I hope, be a contemplative and poetic experience.” Visitors of all ages will be invited to interact with the colossal artwork both externally and internally, with ‘Artistic Educators’ on hand to answer any queries that may arise.
Over the next six weeks a varied events programme will unfold, with school groups undertaking educational trips and dance workshops, officials offering themed cross-generational tours, and a range of events put in place to challenge visitors to enter a dialogue between the work and words, music, and dance. Organised by the French Ministry for Culture and Communication, the exhibition is co-produced by the Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP) and the Etablissement public de la Réunion des musées nationaux et du Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées (Rmn-GP). Click here for more information.
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