Vertigo

This work signalled a transition in his oeuvre, i.e. the shift from the monolithic, pigment-rich sculptures of the 1980s and 90s to the reflective, architectural works of this century. Whereas Kapoor’s early work centred on material, emptiness and inner space, Vertigo is all about surface, reflection and perception.

As opposed to works like Descent into Limbo, where the void is contained inside the object, this void seems to gape open just in front of the work. The gently curved and reflective surface envelopes the viewer, denying them any sense of stability. Their own reflection appears enlarged and distorted, while the space seems to tilt and other visitors in the space are reflected upside-down.

While these optical effects can be explained by the laws of physics, of course, this in no way diminishes the sensory confusion caused by the work. Kapoor has created an experience that cannot be reduced to mere understanding or perception. Only by moving and approaching the work from various angles can one get the full sense of Vertigo. The consecutive images lend a cinematic quality to the piece – a reference, perhaps, to Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), in which the director used camera movements to visually communicate a physical sensation: dizziness.

The experience Kapoor is after touches on something referred to in aesthetics as ‘the sublime’: that which is awe-inspiring, which attracts and disrupts. In an interview with Heidi Reitmaier (2007), Kapoor said: ‘The traditional manifestation of the sublime is the matte surface, deep and absorbing. The glossy perhaps represents the modern form of the sublime: completely reflective, totally present, and casting the gaze back upon itself.’