Renowned sculptor Anish Kapoor wins prestigious Genesis Prize

British-Indian sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor has been named this year's winner of the prestigious Genesis Prize for commitment to Israel and Judaism.

Kapoor, whose large works of art are landmarks in cities worldwide, was born in 1954 in Mumbai to a Hindu father and a Jewish mother. He moved to Israel as a teenager, and has been based in Britain since the 1970s.

Considered one of the most influential artists of his generation, Kapoor's works include "Turning the World Upside Down" at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, "Cloud Gate" in Chicago's Millennium Park, and the "Orbit" in London. Kapoor also created the Holocaust Memorial for the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London, and the 70 candles for Holocaust Memorial Day in Britain in 2015, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

His work has won him numerous prizes, including the prestigious Turner Prize in 1991. He was knighted in 2013.

Established in 2012, the annual Genesis Prize, dubbed the "Jewish Nobel, recognizes individuals "who have attained excellence and international renown in their fields, and whose actions and achievements express a commitment to Jewish values, the Jewish community, and the State of Israel." Previous laureates include former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, actor Michael Douglas, and violinist Itzhak Perlman.

In announcing the award to Kapoor on Sunday, the Genesis Prize organizers said in a statement that "beyond his contributions to the arts, Kapoor has a long history of social activism and a commitment to social justice. For many years, he has been a public advocate for the cause of refugees and an outspoken advocate for displaced people everywhere. Recently he visited Syrian refugees in the Za-atari refugee camp, as part of UNICEF's art therapy program, which is intended to help children who have witnessed atrocities to express themselves through art."

Stan Polovets, chairman and co-founder of the Genesis Prize Foundation, said: "It gives us enormous pleasure to bestow this prestigious award upon Anish Kapoor. The profound impact of Anish's work continues a long history of Jewish contribution to the arts, while his social activism reaffirms the commitment of the Jewish people to humanitarian causes. We particularly admire how, in an age frequently characterized by cynicism and indifference, Anish continually advocates for the world's disadvantaged, challenging all of us to do more to help wherever and whenever we can. Anish's commitment to alleviate the plight of Syrian refugees will resonate with the Jewish community, especially young Jews, everywhere."

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, who heads the Genesis Prize selection committee, said that "throughout our history, the Jewish people suffered not only from active and violent anti-Semitism, perpetrated by a minority, but also from the indifference of the majority. It is this indifference that made persecution, massacres and the Holocaust possible. Anish Kapoor has campaigned against indifference his whole life. His message is clear, powerful, and inspiring.

"I am confident that Anish will use the Genesis Prize to build on the good work already being done by Jews in this area, and his voice and energy will help to focus more people on the need to alleviate the suffering of refugees."

The Genesis Prize includes a $1 million award, which laureates traditionally donate to causes they feel passionate about.

The funds are often matched by other philanthropists, and according to the Genesis Prize Foundation, the last three years have seen nearly $10 million raised to support laureates' philanthropic initiatives.

Kapoor announced he would use his $1 million award, and the global platform provided by the Genesis Prize, to help alleviate the refugee crisis and try to expand the Jewish community's engagement in global efforts to support refugees.

"As inheritors and carriers of Jewish values, it is unseemly for us to ignore the plight of people who are persecuted, who have lost everything and had to flee as refugees in mortal danger," the Genesis Foundation quoted Kapoor as saying.

"I am an artist, not a politician, and I feel I must speak out against indifference for the suffering of others. There are over 60 million refugees in the world today. Whatever the geography of displacement, the refugee crisis is right here on our doorstep. To lose one's home, one's land, one's sense of belonging, is bewildering. All that is left is one's body. How long before, for so many, even that is lost-

"I believe that in the current political climate the world over, it is more important than ever that we continue to stand against the abhorrent government policies that are an offence against our ethics and the very tenets of what it means to be human. As Jews, we must question whether this reality is closer to home than we might like, and we must condemn the exclusionist policies and politics of the government that claims to represent us. Outsider consciousness resides at the heart of Jewish identity, and this is what motivates me, while accepting the honor of the Genesis Prize, to re-gift the proceeds to refugee causes," Kapoor said.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו