A sculpture designed by Anish Kapoor.

A sculpture created by highly acclaimed artist Anish Kapoor.
Photo courtesy of Andym5855 at Flickr Creative Commons.

World renowned sculptor Anish Kapoor just won the million-dollar Genesis Prize. But it’s not the award that has everyone talking; it’s how he plans to spend the money.

According to the Genesis Prize Foundation, Kapoor will use the money to “help alleviate the refugee crisis and try to expand the Jewish community’s engagement in a global effort to support refugees.”

It’s an issue that hits close to home for Kapoor; he is the son of an Iraqi-Jewish mother and an Indian father. Kapoor was originally born in Mumbai, India but later immigrated to the UK. There, he studied at Hornsey College of Art and Chelsea School of Art (both located in London).

To say that he is a success is an understatement. His work has been showcased at museums all over the world. In the past, he’s also won the highly prestigious Turner Prize.

“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,” said Stan Polovets, chairman and cofounder of Genesis Prize Foundation. “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.”

Despite the fact that much of his work tends to have political undertones, Kapoor insists that he’s no expert in diplomacy. Instead, he prefers to identify as an artist who is merely trying to create a better world.

“I am an artist, not a politician, and I feel I must speak out against indifference for the suffering of others,” Kapoor stated. “There are over 60 million refugees in the world today—whatever the geography of displacement, the refugee crisis is right here on our doorstep.”