Anish Kapoor's 'Untrue Unreal' at Palazzo Strozzi Explores Perception and Alchemy

Anish Kapoor's exhibition 'Untrue Unreal' at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, curated by Arturo Galansino, challenges viewers' perception through innovative materials and site-specific works. The show features pieces like 'Non-Object Black' (2015) made with Vantablack, which absorbs over 99.9% of visible light, creating a 'superposition of states' that disrupts time and space. The courtyard installation 'Void Pavilion VII' (2023) offers a quantum-like experience akin to Schrödinger's paradox. Kapoor's work references historical art, including Kazimir Malevich's 'Black Square' (1915) and Constantin Brâncuși's 'Endless Column' (1918). The monumental 'Svayambhu' (2007) pushes through a 15th-century architrave, while 'A Blackish Fluid Excavation' (2018) presents a cavernous form resembling both vulva and penis, embodying ambiguity. The exhibition links to alchemy, with mirrored pieces like 'Vertigo' (2006), 'Mirror' (2018), and 'Newborn' (2019), and blue-tinted slate works such as 'Angel' (1990), confronting viewers with their own reflection and a sublime linguistic abyss.