Liverpool Cathedral is set to mark its 100th anniversary with a significant artistic event, hosting a solo exhibition by the acclaimed British Indian artist Anish Kapoor. The exhibition, titled Monadic Singularity, will run from August 10 to September 15, 2024. This show marks Kapoor’s first-ever exhibition in a UK cathedral and his first major solo exhibition in Liverpool since his 1983 show at the Walker Art Gallery.
A Showcase of Kapoor’s Work Spanning 25 Years
The exhibition will feature a selection of Kapoor’s works from the past 25 years, highlighting his unique approach to materiality and form. Among the featured pieces is Sectional Body Preparing for Monadic Singularity (2015), a massive sculpture that has never been displayed in the UK before. Additionally, one of Kapoor’s renowned kinetic wax sculptures will be on view, adding a dynamic element to the exhibition.
Kapoor on the Challenge and Opportunity of the Cathedral Space
Anish Kapoor expressed the complexity and significance of displaying his work within Liverpool Cathedral. “To show works in Liverpool Cathedral is complex,” Kapoor said in a statement. “It is a space that is alive both with the physical and spiritual. As such, it is resonant with a powerful sense of body and the disembodied. The works that I have chosen to show in the cathedral are situated similarly between body and materiality and geometric immaterial, which I refer to as the non-object. It is my hope that this conjunction of object and non-object here in this immense and potent space will be cause for reflection on the nature of religious experience and the human condition.”
Liverpool Cathedral’s Response
The Very Reverend Dr. Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool, expressed her excitement and pride in hosting Kapoor’s exhibition. “Our Cathedral stands as a place of Encounter, and we invite everyone to experience Kapoor’s extraordinary art within our historic walls,” she said. “This exhibition promises to be a profound meeting of creativity and spirituality, and we hope it inspires all who visit.”
Collaboration and Partnership
The exhibition is being organized in collaboration with Culture Liverpool, the private, not-for-profit organization Liverpool BID Company, Lisson Gallery, and Liverpool jewelers Boodles. A representative from Liverpool Cathedral emphasized the spiritual and emotional impact of Kapoor’s works in this sacred space, noting, “Staged in the spiritual context of the cathedral, where significant moments in life such as birth and death are celebrated and ritualized, Kapoor’s artworks provide connection and inspire awe.”
Monadic Singularity promises to be a transformative experience for all who visit, blending Kapoor’s innovative artistry with the profound spiritual atmosphere of Liverpool Cathedral.
Anish Kapoor: The Ingenuity of Materials, Form and Structure, Impressions of Indian Culture
