Anish Kapoor’s first VR work will depict “the body falling into itself”

Anish Kapoor has created his first VR artwork, Into Yourself-Fall, to be unveiled on 9 December as part of Nobel Week Dialogue, the Nobel Prize 2017 celebrations in Gothenburg, Sweden. Kapoor says of the work: “In it, I think of the body falling into itself and turning itself inside out; vertigo as descent inward”. He also comments that this is the first version of the piece, and it will be completed in the next few months.

The work is made in conjunction with Acute Art, a VR arts platform that has also recently worked with Marina Abramovic, Jeff Koons and Olafur Eliasson.

Kapoor is known for challenging perceptions of reality and physical boundaries with his creations. The Bombay-born, London-based artist first became known for his sculpture in the late 70s and early 80s, which appeared to be partially submerged in gallery floors, disappearing or distorting the space around them. This approach to confusing the viewer and asking them to question their relationship with what surrounds us is what will be explored in a new way, through VR.

Nobel Week Dialogue, where the piece will be shown, is a day of talks and debates bringing together Nobel laureates, leading scientists and experts, policy makers, artists and the public for discussions around a topical, science-related theme – this year “The Future of Truth”. Kapoor will take part in one such event together with the director of Stockholm’s Moderna Museet Daniel Birnbaum, exploring the topic of “artistic truth in virtual space”.

Nobel Week Dialogue takes place on 9 December at Svenska Mässan, Gothenburg, Sweden.