The Homecoming

Kapoor,56,born in Mumbai,has been living and working in the UK since the 1970s and in recognition to his contribution to art,was made the Commander of the British Empire in 2003. He has also been commissioned to create an Olympic tower for the London Olympics worth $29 million — a work that is expected to dwarf the Statue of Liberty. So,the ripples of excitement in concern with his return are understandable.

Tasneem Mehta,Director of INTACH,Mumbai,and chairperson of the recently-restored Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai,has been lobbying for a year to host a solo by Kapoor. “I had planned for Anish to have his first India solo at our museum,but the cost of bringing a Kapoor show to India was prohibitive at the time,” says Mehta. “It seems that Culture Secretary Jawhar Sircar has beat me to the draw and is making the arrangements for Anish to show at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA),” she adds. Rajiv Lochan,Director of NGMA,however,refused to confirm the show. The secrecy surrounding the show is boggling — like Lochan,most of those associated with the show are tight-lipped. Reels of red tape bind every detail. Nonetheless,art exhibition organisers are wondering if they,too,could rope in Kapoor. Neha Kirpal,Director of the India Art Summit,says,“Since there are already plans to bring Anish to India,we were hoping that he could also be part of the art summit,which will be held in January.”

Kapoor’s works have been described as metaphysical and contemplative. Among his famous creations are Cloud Gate,a public art installation in Chicago,shaped as a bean that reflects the warped images of the viewers,and Hive,a diaphanous tube-shaped sculpture that fills the passageway of the Royal Academy of Art (RAA). Kapoor is currently busy with his ongoing solo at the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum that ends in October. He recently wrapped up a mid-career retrospective at RAA.

Given that Kapoor has lived and worked in London for most of his life,can we still call him an Indian artist? Kapoor himself called London his home in an interview with Art India in the late 1990s. “It is fantastic that Anish is finally showing,but it may be noted that this is happening only at a time when India is in the spotlight internationally,” observes Sree Goswami of Project 88.

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