Anish Kapoor: From Bombay to Cloud Gate, a Career of Portals and Duality
Anish Kapoor, who was born in 1954 in Bombay, India, to an Iraqi father and an Indian mother, relocated to Great Britain during the early 1970s. His artistic creations delve into themes of duality and diaspora, utilizing materials such as Vantablack, wax, and polished stainless steel. Notable pieces include Cloud Gate (2004) in Chicago, Orbit (2010–2012) in East London, Shooting Into the Corner (2008–2009), When I Am Pregnant (1992), and Descent into Limbo. In 2006, he partnered with Salman Rushdie for Blood Relations. In 2018, Kapoor took legal action against the NRA for featuring Cloud Gate in a promotional video, labeling it abhorrent, and sought a $1,000,000 contribution to gun violence charities, which the NRA refused.
Key facts
- Anish Kapoor was born in 1954 in Bombay, India, to an Indian mother and an Iraqi father.
- He moved to Great Britain in the early 1970s.
- Cloud Gate (2004) in Chicago is polished twice daily to remove handprints.
- Orbit (2010–2012) is a red steel observation tower in East London built for the 2012 Olympics and appears on UK passports issued after 2015.
- Shooting Into the Corner (2008–2009) fires red wax from a cannon at a gallery corner.
- Descent into Limbo is an eight-foot hole coated with Vantablack; a viewer once fell into it.
- In 2006, Kapoor collaborated with Salman Rushdie on Blood Relations, combining red wax and text.
- In 2018, Kapoor successfully sued the NRA over its use of Cloud Gate in a promotional video titled "The Violence of Lies," which featured Dana Loesch.
Entities
Artists
- Anish Kapoor
- Salman Rushdie
- Dana Loesch
- Joseph Beuys
- Damien Hirst
- Frederic Aranda
Institutions
- The Collector
- Fluxus
- Lisson Gallery
- Museum De Pont
- Galleria Continua
- National Rifle Association
- The Satanic Verses
- Hornsey College of Art
- Chelsea School of Art and Design
- Hayward Gallery London
- Venice Biennale
- Turner Prize
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Tate Modern
- Millennium Park
- San Giorgio Maggiore
Locations
- Bombay
- India
- Iraq
- Great Britain
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Chicago
- Illinois
- London
- England
- East London
- Tilburg
- Netherlands
- Mumbai
- Dehradun
- Israel
- UK
- Florence
- Venice
- Italy