Anish Kapoor's 2009 Retrospective: An Analysis of Heritage and Identity
Location
CSU 201
Start Date
16-4-2013 9:00 AM
End Date
16-4-2013 10:00 AM
Student's Major
Art
Student's College
Arts and Humanities
Mentor's Name
Alisa Eimen
Mentor's Department
Art
Mentor's College
Arts and Humanities
Description
Some artists intentionally comment on their socioeconomic status, ethnic background, and other relevant aspects of their identity when creating works of art. But when artists work in the realm of modernity and abstraction, is all meaning lost? By picking the contemporary, multicultural artist, Anish Kapoor, and relating his work to his heritage and religious upbringing, I strive to uncover the extent to which his past influenced his present. Utilizing several journal articles outlining his 2009 exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art, a book surveying the vast history of Indian art, and photographs of Kapoor’s retrospective, I was able to come to some conclusions about the importance of identity and heritage concerning the artist. While commencing my research it was apparent there was a strong disconnect between the work and any possible influences from his upbringing in India. The resulting paper proves a point by illustrating the obvious flaws of focusing on certain aspects of an artist. By looking at any possible influences to his art related to his Indian identity, the truth is revealed that the only fair way to examine a contemporary artist’s work is through a modern lens including all relevant sociopolitical, economic, and artistic contexts.
Anish Kapoor's 2009 Retrospective: An Analysis of Heritage and Identity
CSU 201
Some artists intentionally comment on their socioeconomic status, ethnic background, and other relevant aspects of their identity when creating works of art. But when artists work in the realm of modernity and abstraction, is all meaning lost? By picking the contemporary, multicultural artist, Anish Kapoor, and relating his work to his heritage and religious upbringing, I strive to uncover the extent to which his past influenced his present. Utilizing several journal articles outlining his 2009 exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art, a book surveying the vast history of Indian art, and photographs of Kapoor’s retrospective, I was able to come to some conclusions about the importance of identity and heritage concerning the artist. While commencing my research it was apparent there was a strong disconnect between the work and any possible influences from his upbringing in India. The resulting paper proves a point by illustrating the obvious flaws of focusing on certain aspects of an artist. By looking at any possible influences to his art related to his Indian identity, the truth is revealed that the only fair way to examine a contemporary artist’s work is through a modern lens including all relevant sociopolitical, economic, and artistic contexts.
Recommended Citation
Schutz, Joshua. "Anish Kapoor's 2009 Retrospective: An Analysis of Heritage and Identity." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 16, 2013.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2013/oral-session-01/2
