Refugee focus for prize winner Kapoor
ANISH KAPOOR says he will use the $1 million he has received for winning the prestigious Genesis Prize to highlight the plight of refugees.
The world famous artist, who was borninMumbaitoanIraqi-JewishmotherandIndianfather,wasnamedthe2017 Genesis Prize Laureate on Sunday.
Established in 2012, the annual award, dubbed the “Jewish Nobel”, honours individuals who have attained excellence and international renown in their chosen fields, and who inspire others through their engagement and dedication to the Jewish community or Israel.
Previous laureates include Michael Bloomberg,MichaelDouglasandItzhak Perlman. It has become a tradition for the winners to direct the prize money to meaningful causes they feel passionate about.
Mr Kapoor will use his award to help alleviate the refugee crisis. Anish Kapoor at the Orbit in London
One of the most influential and innovative artists of his generation, Mr Kapoor’s work includes Turning the World Upside Down at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Cloud Gate in Chicago’s Millennium Park and the Orbit at the Olympic Park in London.
He also created the Holocaust Memorial for the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London and the 70 candles for Holocaust Memorial Day in Britain in 2015.
In a statement, Mr Kapoor said he had to “speak out against indifference for the suffering of others”, and added: “Jewish identity and history have witnessed recurring conditions of indifference, persecution and Holocaust. Repeatedly, we have had to repossess ourselves and re-identify our communities.
“As inheritors and carriers of Jewish values it is unseemly, therefore, for us to ignore the plight of people who are persecuted, who have lost everything and had to flee as refugees in mortal danger.”