A hall of blood-red paintings and an installation, a maze of mirrors that twist, turn and attract you to observe your distorted reflections, and two mysterious blue sculptures with voids that may draw viewers in, this is the magical world conjured up by Anish Kapoor for Shenzhen.

Visitors at the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning.

Kapoor, one of the most distinguished contemporary artists in the world, is presenting a selection of key works he has created over the past 40 years at an exhibition at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning.

Without any information explaining the exhibited items, Kapoor’s works displayed in the bright white exhibition halls speak for themselves. When you stand close to the polished stainless steel mirrors and watch their reflective surfaces, you can respond to the visual tricks set by Kapoor.

You will be captivated by the giant red wax installation “My Red Homeland” and abstract geometric forms coated with loose powdered pigments that spill beyond the object itself and onto the floor and wall.

Anish Kapoor's "My Red Homeland."

According to Yan Weixin, curator of the museum, to meet Kapoor’s demands for the exhibition, Kapoor’s staff visited the museum nine times and even built a model of the museum for Kapoor to use to design the layout of the exhibition.

Kapoor’s public art works are renowned for having engagement with people and environment, such as his best-known “Cloud Gate” at Chicago’s Millennium Park and “Sky Mirror” at New York City’s Rockefeller Center. But this time, the museum’s exhibition halls are all white because Kapoor wants visitors to throw all their attention on the pure form of the objects themselves.

Born in India in 1954, Kapoor moved to London in the 1970s to study at the Hornsey College of Art and the Chelsea School of Art. A visit back to India in 1979 sparked new perspectives on the land of his birth. These were reflected through his use of saturated pigments and striking architectural forms in bodies of work. He once said, “Red is a color I’ve felt very strongly about. Maybe red is a very Indian color; maybe it’s one of those things that I grew up with and recognize at some other level.”

Models of his past intriguing public art works and architectural projects are also on display at the exhibition.

Dates: Until July 4

Tickets: 168 yuan for adults, 118 yuan for students, 98 yuan for children to 1.5 meters, free for seniors aged 60 or elder

Hours: 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., closed Mondays

Venue: Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning, Futian District (福田區(qū)深圳市當代藝術與城市規(guī)劃館)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宮站), Exit A2