Anish Kapoor as Henry Moore at Royal Academy in London

Anish Kapoor is the second contemporary artist, after Henry Moore in 1988, who has been chosen to exhibit at the Royal Academy in London. This is, also, the first time that a living artist will occupy all of the main galleries. Kapoor’s exhibition will take place from 26 September to 11 December 2009 at Royal Academy of Arts, and it will show the best of Kapoor art and poetic.
He was born in Bombay in 1954, his father was from India and his Jewish mother from Iraq. At the age of 19, he moved to England where he studied at Hornesey College of Art and Chelsea School of Art Design.
His works investigate about the dialectic of the opposites: male and female; light and darkness, interior and exterior; whilst a particular use of pure colours became a regular feature of his art and a symbol of the synthesis between East and West. Kappor’s artistic life is composed by two complementary phases. To the first phase belong the works of the early 80s: sculptural objects between the abstract and the natural, completely covered by pure pigment. In the 90s, he built increasing size sculptures that represent his idea of the vacuum, made tangible by some cavities that are filled or a matter that has been emptied.
Kapoor’s work has been exhibited around the world, both in museums and private galleries, including the Tate Modern in London, the MOMA in New York, the Reina Sofia in Madrid and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

The gender issue in the Contemporary Art

In the last two exhibitions, about Constructivism and Futurism, at Tate Modern (London)  an important space was given to female artists, who took part in this art movements.  So, you could appreciate their art works and understand their role and relevance.

This is a significant change in the way to show and talk about Contemporary Art, because you could have a complete overview of the movements  and not, as usual, only a report of male artists inputs.
The society is made by women and men; the Art is always an expression of the society; so, if you don’t consider the female contribution, you don’t actually give a exhaustive report of an art movement or period.

I hope that this was the beginning of a different (better) approach to the Art research and exhibition, not only in England but in all world countries.

The Manifesto of Futurism

You can hear a famous Italian actor, Carmelo Bene, reading the Futurism Manifesto. 

The Futurism Manifesto “in brave rethorical phrases, proclaimed the end of the art of the past and the birth of an art of the future*”.

It’s surprising how Carmelo Bene really succeeded in communicating the innovative force of this movement.

*Herbert Read, A concise history of modern painting, London, 2006
** The translation in English of Furism Manifesto