Anish Kapoor Returns to Hayward Gallery
British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor returns to Hayward Gallery after 30 years of his first major UK survey.
@urbanadventurerldn [BLOG POST IN BIO] Anish Kapoor at Hayward Gallery After three decades, Anish Kapoor has returned to Hayward Gallery with a monumental exhibition. His works turn the world upside down, distort and twist, and transform exhibition spaces into places where your sense of scale, and even gravity begin waver 🕳️ #anishkapoor #CapCut
Vantablack, Distorted Mirrors, Giant Balloons, Upside Down Mountain
Photo: Urban Adventurer
After three decades, Anish Kapoor has returned to Hayward Gallery with his monumental exhibition taking all the exhibition rooms and the terraces. This exhibition is also the centrepiece of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary programme and the final exhibition curated by Ralph Rugoff as a Director of the Hayward Gallery for 20 years.
Over his career, Anish Kapoor has become known for his breath-taking, monumental installations. His works turn the world upside down, distort and twist, and transform exhibition spaces into places where your sense of scale, and even gravity begin waver.
Giant Red Balloons – All of Nothing
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Your exhibition journey starts in a room almost entirely filled with a giant red balloon.
The monumental installation leaves very little room for the visitors as it almost fills the whole room. It’s so vast, you can only see the whole thing if you climb the spiral staircase.
The giant balloon represents the tension between the opposites which Kapoor calls: All of Nothing. The balloon takes up almost the entire space, but at the same time, it’s filled with air, meaning – in reality – it’s nothing because if we pop the balloon, nothing is left.
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Similar red balloons appear in the final room of the exhibition where an upside down mountain is floating from just inches above the ground.
The Blackest Black Material in the World
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In the next room, visitors have the rare opportunity to encounter installations made from Vantablack, the blackest known substance in the world.
Vantablack absorbs 99.965% of light, creating the blackest black material possible.
It’s not paint. It’s a special material developed by nano technology: billions of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes are tightly packed together, so when the light hits the surface, it becomes trapped between the tubes.
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Only a very few artists are allowed to use this material, and Anish Kapoor is one of them, meaning it’s a very rare opportunity for visitors of the exhibition to experience Vantablack.
With Vantablack, Kapoor creates seemingly depthless voids and mysterious vertigos that you feel like pulling you in like a black hole.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Kapoor uses Vantablack in numerous other installations, such as his monumental velvety rock formation in another room and his dramatic tissue-like sculptures that look like tribal ritual sacrifices.
Distorted Mirrors
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There are mirrored steelworks scattered on the walls and outside the terraces to trick your mind.
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They bend and twist the reflections of their surroundings, opening new, distorted dimensions.
Velvety Red Rock Formation
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A giant red rock formation takes up an entire exhibition room. It’s painted in Kapoor’s signature red, and it’s influenced by interesting rock formations Kapoor visited during his travels, including Uluru and the sandstone monolith in central Australia.
This artwork with a Vantablack piece in its centre suggests an otherworldly, mysterious landscape.
Upside Down Mountain
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A vast mountain is floating just inches above the ground surrounded with – what they look like – giant chopped meat chunks wrapped in transparent plastic foil.
This installation is hovering between the edge of wander and horror.
The title of the artwork is ‘Mount Moriah’ which in the Old Testament is described as the place where God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.
About Sir Anish Kapoor
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Sir Anish Kapoor is one of the most influential artists today. He is known for his monumental public sculptures and mind-bending illusions.
One of his most famous works is the Cloud Gate (2006) or ‘The Bean’ located in the Millennium Park in Chicago. It’s a vast stainless steel sculpture that reflects its surroundings back like a giant mirror.
Another one is the famous 114.5-metre tall ArcelorMittal Orbit in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park commissioned as a landmark and legacy piece for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Anish Kapoor’s Signature Red
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Kapoor often uses his signature red in his works. Red is a colour infused with emotion and ceremonial associations.
He says: “This open and visually beckoning colour also associates itself with a dark interior world. I try to make a condition of colour, not a painted surface. I want to make something that’s red in such a way that its redness occupies the whole space of your vision.”
Practical Info
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Address
Hayward Gallery | Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX
(Nearest station is Waterloo station | Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern and Hammersmith & City lines)
Opening Times
16th June – 18th October 2026
Mon: CLOSED
Tue – Fri: 10am – 6pm
Sat: 10am – 8pm
Sun: 10am – 6pm
Tickets
Book your tickets on the official website of Southbank Centre.
Standard entry: £22
Cloakroom is available. It costs £2 per item.
Ready for your next adventure? If you love mind-bending illustrations and immersive rooms, M.C. Escher – The Exhibition is now open at Somerset House. Book with Fever and use code ADVENTURERLDN10 to get 10% OFF!