Anish Kapoor

The sculpture "Cloud Gate" (better known as "the Bean" for its leguminess) in Millenium Park in Chicago is definitely on my list of things to see. It weighs 110 tons (!) and consists of 170 or so stainless steel plates welded together seamlessly and polished to perfection. The statue is often lauded for its reflections of the city, the sky and the people it faces, but I prefer its whimsical shape above all else. Legume legume legume.


I only recently learned that the Bean was conceived by English (but Indian-born) artist Anish Kapoor. A quick Google image search under Kapoor's name reveals many, many more appealingly tactile and visually stunning pieces (including this one, called "Sky Mirror," which shares the polished exterior of the Bean but is worth a look nonetheless).

I recognized Kapoor's name from a work located much closer to home, at the SFMOMA. His piece "Hole" sits in the Contemporary Arts wing of the museum and just a wall away from the new rooftop garden. "Hole" highlights many of Kapoor's recurring motifs: monochromatic, bright color, inviting surface texture, and mystery in shape (what an unknown dark cavity you have there big blue bell!). Indeed the work was so tantalizing to touch that many visitors did just that, and smudges of the distinctive blue color found their way onto other pricey pieces located in rooms neighboring the "Hole" piece.

All in all, I am completely impressed by Anish Kapoor's work. It truly highlights that visual simplicity and aesthetic purity can still garner ooohs and aaahs in a gallery and that we don't need the grotesque or obscure to shock us into appreciation.

Joanna Newsom - The sprout and the bean