'There is a metaphysical quality to it, which is what I'm after.' ANISH KAPOOR

The present lot by Anish Kapoor is part of a series of works entitled Turning the World Upside Down executed in 1995. It marks the artist’s first experiments with the visual effects of surface where the structures themselves do not possess colour, but instead reflect environment in which they are situated. The series of works Turning the World Upside Down stand in contrast to Kapoor’s earlier work which had explored themes of the void, emptiness and the abyss. Instead, these works engage the viewer directly, literally inverting our view of the world as we see it.

Turning the World Upside Down II stands as a physical paradigm of Kapoor’s continual interest in the meaning of composition itself. Kapoor explains the significant distinction in his mirrored work saying: ‘I wanted to see if it was possible to make a space full of mirror – not a mirrored object, but a space full of mirror.’ (A.Kapoor, in an interview with J. Peyton-Jones and H.U. Obrist, Turning the World Upside Down in Kensington Gardens. Koenig Books, 2011, p.57.) This idea is central to Kapoor’s creative process and an aspect which is emphasised by his continued exploration of the concept of surface reflection beyond stainless-steel, to include bronze, stone and other materials. This investigation of surface recalls the work of Constantin Brancusi, who obsessively varied the same motif in polished bronze, in white, black, yellow or blue marble – all in the name of an evolutionary search for pure form, in an attempt to convey a sense of gravity by reducing his work to a few basic elements.

As with all the reflective pieces produced by Kapoor in the 1990s, the present lot seeks to produce images that change with variations in their setting so that the viewer is not simply observing a mirrored object, but rather, pursuing the structure’s ability to reflect a differing perspective of our perceived reality, in both literal and metaphorical terms. At first glance, the illustrated work appears to simply reflect the natural state of the surrounding elements; however, upon closer observation, its agency as a site of visual transformation emerges, as viewers are invited to consider their relationship to Kapoor’s work, as well as their own place within the surrounding environment. As Kapoor explains: ‘I’m after that sort of metaphysical looking – looking not at the object, but throughout it, beyond it.’ (Ibid, p.59.)

The concave mirror draws the viewer in, leaving us no choice but to be included in its reflection. Indeed, like Jeff Koons’ Rabbit of 1986, whose stainless steel surface also functions as mirror of sorts, it reflects everything that is exhibited around it, and changes as its environment does. Kapoor’s sculpture is not, however, simply an inert or still object; like a vortex, it has a real pull, confronting the viewer with an infinite space that inverts its surroundings, so that we too become active participants in the creation of the piece. It does not just reflect the world, but explores the symbolic nature of reality by engaging us in an image that contains distortion. It typifies the artist’s exploration with what he sees as metaphysical polarities, such as that between the material and immaterial, in order to engage the viewer in an experience akin to that evoked by the Sublime. Kapoor’s installation pulsates with an active dynamism that infuses physical and psychological space, possessing a substance which reminds the viewer that it is not just there for our image to be absorbed into: it is a physical object that protrudes, forcing us to contemplate the complexities of human perception.