Home Run

A show in his homeland took this long,says Kapoor,because he couldn’t find the right space. “These are delicate things and of a large size,” says the 56-year-old,pointing to a large box where miniature pieces of his work are positioned as they would be in India. “The Mehboob Studio is legendary; the last time I was there I saw Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. It has a resonance with the Mumbai audience. Besides,Bandra is now connected via the sea link to south Mumbai making it accessible for all.” Meanwhile the sprawling NGMA,Delhi,offers him the Jaipur House section as well a new wing.

The artist has lived in London since the 1970s,is married to a Britisher and holds a British passport. “But I am an Indian who lives in England,I’m very clear on that,” he avers.

Kapoor is responsible for several important pieces of public art: the beautiful Cloud Gate at Millennium Park,Chicago,and Sky Mirror at Rockefeller Centre,New York. His public art are awe-inspiring behemoths,blurring the boundaries between sculpture and architecture,usually engaging the viewer to introspect.

Kapoor is also making a gigantic tower—120 metres to be precise — in East London,next to the Olympics stadium for the 2012 games. Commissioned by Laxmi Mittal’s Arcelor Mittal group,the ‘Arcelor Mittal Orbit’ is said to rival the Statue of Liberty and will also have a viewing gallery.

“Towers have always been symmetrical and self-supporting. But the 21st century can do different things,this is about doing things differently,” he explains pointing to a digitised image of the spiral wire mesh. Is this the biggest thing he’s ever made? “Vertically,yes.”

“Great art has always come out of India. But Indian artists need to understand the international audience requires a sophistication and a better showcase,” says Kapoor.