A few weeks ago I went to Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, the country home of renowned architect Sir John Soane. I've written about my visit to the Manor and its stunning drawing room with hand painted Chinese wallpaper, but I would also like to mention the Contemporary gallery that is next to Soane's House. The gallery has recently been upgraded to create a modern, light-filled space and will present three exhibitions a year of work by artists, designers and architects.
The first exhibition to be shown in the new space (which opened on 16th March) is by the work of Anish Kapoor showing a series of sculptures that echo Soane's complex use of mirrors and light to double and dissolve space.
With Kapoor's work being shown in this space, a relationship is created between the sculptures, architecture and the viewer. Space becomes confused and tricks the eye, like this structure that sits in the middle of the gallery space. It reflects the surroundings but also has a spherical cut out which the brain finds difficult to understand. Even up close, it's hard to work out what is happening on the inside of the circle.
The concavity of these works disrupts the space of the object and creates an active space around it.
In some pieces he also uses colour and magnifying techniques.
The surroundings become a part of the art itself, reflected in the highly polished mirrored surface.
Some items change as you move past them, such as the piece below. From one angle is is painted a stunning matt red and yellow colour.
Move to the right and the same sculpture is suddenly a mirror where your reflection is upside down.
The photo below gives a feel for the gallery space which has a clean and light contemporary feel but mixes it with traditional styles, such as the glass-domed ceiling.
This stunning exhibition is on until 18th August.
