Artist Anish Kapoor Weighs Suing Over Border Patrol Agents Posing With His Sculpture as "Fascist America"
Anish Kapoor is considering a lawsuit after border patrol agents posed in front of his Cloud Gate sculpture, labeling the scene as representative of "fascist America." Kapoor was informed about the image by a friend who lives in Chicago.
"I mean, this is fascist America and just beyond belief," Kapoor stated. This incident comes after the agents were reported to be celebrating after conducting military-style immigration enforcement raids. According to reports over 1,000 people have been arrested since the crackdown began in September.
Kapoor took legal action against the National Rifle Association (NRA) after using an image of Cloud Gate for their advertisement. He settled out of court in 2018. "It's a bit more complicated with this," Kapoor stated about the recent incident, as the agents were reportedly a full national army unit.
A new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery will feature around 40 works by Kapoor, including two new pieces. The show is part of the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary celebrations. Kapoor expressed his excitement about the exhibition stating that it would evoke emotion in viewers and make them question what is art.
The exhibition includes Kapoor's 2022 work, Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto, a large swirl of black and red descending from the ceiling. The show also features works from the 1990s and 2010s.
Anish Kapoor is considering a lawsuit after border patrol agents posed in front of his Cloud Gate sculpture, labeling the scene as representative of "fascist America." Kapoor was informed about the image by a friend who lives in Chicago.
"I mean, this is fascist America and just beyond belief," Kapoor stated. This incident comes after the agents were reported to be celebrating after conducting military-style immigration enforcement raids. According to reports over 1,000 people have been arrested since the crackdown began in September.
Kapoor took legal action against the National Rifle Association (NRA) after using an image of Cloud Gate for their advertisement. He settled out of court in 2018. "It's a bit more complicated with this," Kapoor stated about the recent incident, as the agents were reportedly a full national army unit.
A new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery will feature around 40 works by Kapoor, including two new pieces. The show is part of the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary celebrations. Kapoor expressed his excitement about the exhibition stating that it would evoke emotion in viewers and make them question what is art.
The exhibition includes Kapoor's 2022 work, Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto, a large swirl of black and red descending from the ceiling. The show also features works from the 1990s and 2010s.
? i mean, what's next, posing with the Mona Lisa or something? 
it's just another example of how out of touch some people are with what art and culture actually represent. anish kapoor's work is meant to evoke emotions and spark conversations, not be used as a backdrop for agents to show off their "military might" 
. i'm all for free speech, but come on, folks! let's keep the politics out of public spaces 
I'm all for art being a form of expression but come on, it's not exactly subtle either... and btw, 1k people arrested in one month? that's just crazy 
like he thought that would be the end of it, but this is a whole different level of controversy 
can't wait to see what other emotions he'll evoke with his art 
I mean, Anish Kapoor's art is already kinda pretentious, but to think that some border patrol agents are using one of his pieces as a prop to mock America... it's just lowkey sickening 
. Like, I get where he's coming from - the whole thing does feel pretty "fascist" in nature 
. But at the same time, isn't art supposed to be about sparking conversations and challenging our perspectives? 
.
. Artists like Anish Kapoor are just trying to showcase their talents and bring some culture to our lives, and then we have border patrol agents posing with his sculpture and calling it "fascist America"? It's just plain weird, and a bit sad, really 
. I mean, what's next? Are they gonna start using Picasso's Guernica as a prop for their coffee breaks? 
.
anyway he's got a new exhibition comin up at the hayward gallery which looks kinda cool i guess
their actions are literally arresting people & dehumanizing them & now they're using art as a way to intimidate & control the narrative? it's like they think they can just co-opt our culture & use it against us 
anyway, Kapoor is considering taking action & I think he should go after these agents too - the hypocrisy is real 
... like, they're posing in front of Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate thingy and suddenly it's "fascist America"? I mean, come on! It's just a sculpture, you know? Kapoor was already all upset about something with the NRA, but this just takes the cake 
.