Anish Kapoor’s work is elegantly simple, yet breathtaking. There are no extraneous or unnecessary pieces, but it’s far from mundane or boring. 

Getting simple right is hard. With Cloud Gate and C-Curve, Kapoor nails it. So many artists (not to mention advertising creatives) tend to overcomplicate things because they interpret complexity as value. It’s not. Creating something simple yet engaging can be incredibly difficult. But when done right, simple is powerful.

Asides from being awe-inspiringly simple, Kapoor’s work is participatory. You don’t contemplate a Kapoor sculpture. You interact with it.

People are invited to walk inside the Cloud Gate, touch it, and stare up at endless reflections. Even when you walk away from C-Curve, you’re aware that your reflection is still there, upside down, getting smaller and smaller. These sculptures are incomplete without people standing in front of them, waving their arms, pointing at their distorted surroundings. Later on, it’s impossible to remember the art without seeing yourself as part of it. The art simply doesn’t exist outside of each viewer’s unique, relatable experience.

Anish Kapoor takes simplicity and participation to the next level and his work inspires me. 

Both photos taken by Nathan Archambault: The Cloud Gate (lovingly referred to as The Bean) in Chicago on 8/15/2004, C-Curve in London’s Kensington Gardens on 12/20/2010