Major Anish Kapoor exhibition opens at Serlachius in Finland

Long-planned work by the artist finally realised in Mänttä

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a sculpture entitled Ancestor, which dominates the largest hall of Serlachius Manor. The sculpture was assembled and finished on site, so the artist himself will only see the work in its completed form in Finland.

For years, Anish Kapoor has been mulling over a large-scale work that has simply been waiting for the right location to come to fruition. The 11-metre-high, 600-square-metre hall finally provides a suitable setting for the sculpture in its planned size and form.

The artist has revealed almost nothing about the sculpture in advance, as he wants people to experience it without any preconceived expectations. “The work has, however, served as a conceptual starting point for the entire exhibition and influenced the selection of works,” says curator Timo Valjakka.

“The surface of the work is such that it reads as being geological. Let’s say the work comes from somewhere and it has geological associations. So, there is the colour and there is the sense of the object having arrived in this space without any human intervention. There are very few signs of it being made. It’s just there, and I think that’s very important.” says Kapoor.

Black non-objects, mirrors and paintings

Anish Kapoor’s exhibition fills three exhibition spaces at Serlachius Manor and also spreads into the extension passageway. The latter space will feature concave mirror works that challenge our perception of reality..

The first gallery space displays the artist’s non-objects. They are sculptures treated with the Vantablack coating, which absorbs light almost 100% and is commonly utilised in space technology. The works look like black holes that seem to float in the air.

The second exhibition space contains large paintings that Kapoor began producing in the 2000s and has only included in his exhibitions in recent years. They are non-representational, but evoke images of, for example, fire, molten lava, explosions or fading embers.

Exhibition Curator Timo Valjakka has followed Kapoor’s career since the 1990s and he curated the artist’s 2001 exhibition at the Kunsthalle Helsinki. According to Valjakka, Kapoor’s art is based on a deep knowledge of art and cultural history and an understanding of the possibilities offered by perceptual psychology.

“His poetic sculptures and paintings are based on metaphysical opposites, such as the inner and the outer, emptiness and fullness, absence and presence, and creation and destruction,” says Valjakka.

Intense period of creativity continues

Anish Kapoor has opened six museum exhibitions around the world in early 2026: in addition to Serlachius, two exhibitions in the United States and exhibitions in Germany, Italy and the UK. Director Pauli Sivonen is delighted that Serlachius is among this group. It shows that the museum is also considered to be an important exhibition venue worldwide.

“Anish Kapoor has already done enough retrospectives during his career. Despite his almost fifty years of active work, he is living through a very strong creative period. That is why we did not want to set about compiling an overview of his entire career, but decided to focus on more recent works,” says Pauli Sivonen.

Anish Kapoor’s exhibition will be on display at Serlachius Manor 27 June 2026–4 April 2027.

Anish Kapoor

Anish Kapoor was born in 1954 in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and moved to London at the age of 18, where he initially studied art at Hornsey College of Art and then at Chelsea School of Art and Design.

Kapoor gained worldwide fame in the early 1990s. He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1990 and was awarded the Premio Duemila for Best Young Artist. The following year, he won the Turner Prize, considered Britain’s most important art award. 

His works are regularly shown in major art museums around the world and have been acquired for the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Guggenheim, Tate Modern, and more.

Anish Kapoor was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013 in recognition of his contribution to the arts.

Read Pauli Sivonen’s articles on Anish Kapoor on the Serlachius website:
Who is Anish Kapoor?
What is Anish Kapoor going to do in Mänttä?

Further information and image requests: 
Susanna Yläjärvi, Information Officer, Serlachius, susanna.ylajarvi@serlachius.fi, tel. +358 (0)50 560 0156,

Serlachius is open:

in the summer season, 1 June–31 August, every day 10 am–6 pm
in the winter season, 1 September–31 May, from Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am–6 pm


Visiting addresses:


Serlachius Manor, Joenniementie 47, Mänttä, Finland
Serlachius Headquarters, R. Erik Serlachiuksen katu 2, Mänttä, Finland

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