Anish Kapoor Slashes Holes in Reality at the Hayward Gallery

Photo by Attilio Maranzano

Anish Kapoor’s monumental summer takeover at the Hayward Gallery is an absolute blockbuster of an art experience, transforming London’s iconic brutalist venue into a playground of sensory distortion. Nearly thirty years after staging his first major UK survey in the exact same building, the internationally acclaimed artist returns to completely warp, tilt, and reconstruct our perception of physical space.

What makes this exhibition spectacular is how intensely it shifts your relationship with reality. This is not art you simply stand back and look at; it is art that actively engages your biology, messing with your balance, vision, and headspace.

Stepping into the galleries, you are immediately confronted by Kapoor’s legendary use of Vantablack, the extraordinary material that absorbs nearly all visible light. Standing before these pieces is a deeply surreal experience, as they appear entirely flat—as if holes have been cleanly sliced right out of the fabric of three-dimensional space. Getting close triggers a thrilling sense of vertigo as the brain struggles to find depth in a visual void.

Photo By Jillian Edelstein

Contrasting these unsettling dark abysses are his signature, flawless steel mirror sculptures. They bend the raw concrete architecture, the moving crowds, and your own reflection into dizzying, fluid shapes that turn the entire room upside down.

The exhibition also balances this polished, mathematical precision with raw, primal energy. Massive, fleshy sculptures in Kapoor’s iconic deep crimson descend dramatically from the ceilings and press heavily against the gallery walls. These deeply textured, visceral installations feel almost alive, confronting visitors with the fragility of human existence.

Curated by Ralph Rugoff as his final landmark show after two decades leading the Hayward Gallery, the exhibition flows beautifully from one uncanny illusion to the next. It runs from 16 June until 18 October 2026, and it stands out as a riveting, unforgettable feast for the eyes that shouldn't be missed.