Anish Kapoor and The D.C. Singularity
Washington cycles out its losers every 2 years, thanks to term limits and/or a mercurial electorate. After the indicators shift ever so slightly on the spectrum of the two party political system, a new regime sets to work rectifying the real or perceived shortcomings of an outgoing government that, no longer around to scurry to/from meetings on the Hill, is quickly forgotten. This exodus of incumbents and their staffs occurs so suddenly and unceremoniously, though, that one wonders if there isn't another, say, entropic, force speeding the unfortunate masses out of town.
Enter Anish Kapoor's "At the Hub of Things," an extraordinarily clever and engrossing fiberglass sculpture that, for more than 20 years, has sat in the bowels of the Hirshhorn Contemporary Art Museum.
Situated as it is in an all-white alcove with track-lighting positioned behind it on the ceiling, it offers two entirely different experiences depending upon whether the viewer approaches its profile or head on. If you approach it from the side, you marvel at the rich blue pigment work that looks as though it should have flaked off through attrition long ago. The pigment symbolizes the goddess Devi in its form of Kali, the great cosmic mother. Considered from this aspect, you can appreciate the sculptor's intent to have it represent both the womb and a burial mound, encapsulating the full human experience.
On the other hand, approaching it head on challenges you to stare into and search for a center that is beyond perception. Rather, all you can see is a lightless, limitless depth that signals either the end or the beginning of all possibilities. The blue pigment that you know to be beyond the rim is nowhere visible (though my photo does not really capture this). The sculpture is, in other words, a singularity. And, whether it exerts an undue gravitational pull on the District and environs, you are probably safe to visit the Hirshhorn and see it, unless your elected employer's polling is not good.
Enter Anish Kapoor's "At the Hub of Things," an extraordinarily clever and engrossing fiberglass sculpture that, for more than 20 years, has sat in the bowels of the Hirshhorn Contemporary Art Museum.
Situated as it is in an all-white alcove with track-lighting positioned behind it on the ceiling, it offers two entirely different experiences depending upon whether the viewer approaches its profile or head on. If you approach it from the side, you marvel at the rich blue pigment work that looks as though it should have flaked off through attrition long ago. The pigment symbolizes the goddess Devi in its form of Kali, the great cosmic mother. Considered from this aspect, you can appreciate the sculptor's intent to have it represent both the womb and a burial mound, encapsulating the full human experience.
On the other hand, approaching it head on challenges you to stare into and search for a center that is beyond perception. Rather, all you can see is a lightless, limitless depth that signals either the end or the beginning of all possibilities. The blue pigment that you know to be beyond the rim is nowhere visible (though my photo does not really capture this). The sculpture is, in other words, a singularity. And, whether it exerts an undue gravitational pull on the District and environs, you are probably safe to visit the Hirshhorn and see it, unless your elected employer's polling is not good.
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