Anish Kapoor / England b.1954 / Void (#13) 1991–92 / Fibreglass and pigment / 161 (diam.) x 120cm / Purchased 1998. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Anish Kapoor

Anish Kapoor
Void (#13) 1991–1992

Not Currently on Display

Void (#13) 1991–92 makes us question what we are seeing. From a distance, the artwork seems very large. As we get closer, the work looks infinitely deep, and we can see that the artist has used intense colour pigments to create uncertainty about its depth.

To understand the visual effects, we need to move around the artwork and view it from all angles. Anish Kapoor places great importance on how viewers experience his works.

In his practice, Anish Kapoor draws on his varied cultural heritage, including his Indian and Jewish ancestry and his mainly British art education. After deciding to become an artist at the age of 18, he moved to London to study. Kapoor continues to live and work in Britain and is identified as one of the New British Sculpture artists.

His works are highly engaging, both visually and physically, and they are also rich in philosophical references. Kapoor’s artistic development has been deeply informed by psychologist Carl Jung’s beliefs of universal characters (or archetypes) in people, as well as the Hinduism belief of dualism (one against the many) or the contrast between truth and reality.

One of Kapoor’s main undertakings as an artist is to understand the ‘wholeness’ of our experience of life.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think the artist achieves his goal of making people slow down when they look at his work?

2. Consider the techniques the artist has used to communicate the idea of infinity.

Classroom Activities

1. Consider what two dimensional shapes and colours would be needed to create an effect similar to that of Void (#13). Experiment with chalk pastels to create a page of intensely coloured shapes. Compare the effects created when using contrasting colours and reflect on the results.

2. Interpret Void (#13) as a painting. Consider tone, texture (matt versus gloss surfaces), light-absorbing surfaces and non-objectivity as you develop your work.