Artist Anish Kapoor has called for artists to not shy aware from "real-world questions", and to engage with issues such as nationalism, Brexit and Donald Trump.
"We're all in this terrible, difficult time," Kapoor told Dezeen. "The quotidian questions of our time ? in politics especially, but not just in politics ? present us with questions we feel we have to answer or find motivation to answer."
"Is it necessary to oppose Trump" There is no question that it is necessary to oppose Trump," he continued. "Is it necessary to have a conversation about nationalism" There's no question that it is. It is absolutely necessary for us to engage in those questions."
London-based Kapoor has been very vocal about recent political events, both in the press and via his Instagram page, where he goes by the name Dirty Corner. Earlier this year, the artist came together with over 200 creatives to form a coalition named Hands Off Our Revolution, which will stage contemporary-art exhibitions to confront right-wing populism.
#brexit
A post shared by Anish Kapoor (@dirty_corner) on Mar 13, 2017 at 10:57am PDT

While the 63-year-old artist said it was crucial not to shy away from these political issues, he acknowledged that the relationship between art and politics is complex. Kapoor warned that art that just "illustrates" political events and acts as only commentary had a short lifespan.
"To me, agitprop ? t...