Taking into account material and form, this work discusses the term "performance" in visual art based on two sculptural works by Anish Kapoor, Dirty Corner (2011) and Leviathan (2011). The argumentation focuses on questions of space theory, reception by the viewer and his position in the two installations. The creation of an atmospheric space inside the artworks brings up the question of techniques with regard to the materials and possible connections to other cultures or theories about art.

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... bling a clear classification of Kapoor's work or an affiliation to a special culture or art group has already been criticized in several publications on the artist's oeuvre. In fact, in interpretations of his works connections can be found to modern art and theory as well as to Buddhist philosophy and to the art and culture of India in general. The discussion of these two artworks from 2011 also takes place at the cutting edge between Western and Eastern influences. Initially, the influences of theoretical writings on space by Merleau-Ponty and Foucault will be stressed on the one hand, and the idea of the sublime from Burke to Lyotard on the other. Kapoor's way of dealing with these theories in material and form plays an essential role. Characterized by the depiction of the non- representable and its monumentality, this interplay gives the works a sense of spirituality. Questioning this observation, a comparative analysis will be undertaken between the performative spaces formed by these monumental artworks and of those created during a ritual in Hindu Temples. This includes a discussion of the definition of rituals as "transformative performances" and a critical questioning of the performative characteristics of ritual acts as well as the discussion of the function of these processes. In Hindu temples the moved architecture, which is brought into harmony with the movement of the devotees, and the constitution of a transformative space is essential. Especially this aspect connects those spaces with the interiors of the tw [...]