Nazar Research Center for Art, Architecture and Urbanism (NRC) The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar 1735-9635 22 148 2025 08 31 An Analysis of Anish Kapoor’s Works with a Focus on the Concept of Becoming from the Perspective of Gilles Deleuze An Analysis of Anish Kapoor’s Works with a Focus on the Concept of Becoming from the Perspective of Gilles Deleuze 65 78 228160 10.22034/bagh.2025.520350.5817 FA Elahe Feizi Moghaddam Department of Visual Communication, Faculty of Fine Arts & Architecture, Eqbal Lahoori Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran 0000-0002-0287-8656 Seyedalireza Sajjadi Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 0009-0004-5111-2368 Hossein Ardalani Department of Philosophy of Art, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran 0000-0002-4390-3862 Journal Article 2025 05 09 Problem statement: In the postmodern era, art is no longer conceived as a static act of representation but as a fluid and generative process. Within this framework, philosophical concepts such as becoming in the thought of Gilles Deleuze provide deeper analytical tools for engaging with contemporary artworks. Given the formal and conceptual complexities of Anish Kapoor’s oeuvre—particularly his red wax installations and mirrored sculptures—there arises a need for a philosophical and interdisciplinary interpretive approach to adequately apprehend their aesthetic and conceptual dimensions.<br />Research objective: This study seeks to analyze Kapoor’s works through the lens of Deleuzian becoming—a concept that encompasses flux, transformation, instability, and perpetual creation. The research aims to demonstrate how Kapoor’s art serves as a visual instantiation of becoming, producing experiential events that transcend conventional notions of representation and align with the creation of singular artistic occurrences in the moment.<br />Research method: This qualitative and theoretical investigation adopted an analytical-interpretive method within an interdisciplinary framework of art and philosophy. Drawing on literature review and Deleuze’s theoretical corpus, the study examines Kapoor’s red wax works and mirrored sculptures as case studies, selected for their close engagement with the logic of becoming.<br />Conclusion: The findings indicate that Kapoor’s artworks—especially Svayambh, Past, Present, Future, and Cloud Gate—operate not as static objects but as dynamic processes of continual transformation. These works dissolve the boundaries between matter, time, space, and the viewer, generating experiences of becoming that embody Deleuze’s conception of art as event, creation of meaning, and lived experience. Ultimately, the study argues that Kapoor’s work cannot be comprehensively understood without reference to Deleuze’s ontology of becoming, which offers a deeper insight into the dynamic ontology of contemporary art. Problem statement: In the postmodern era, art is no longer conceived as a static act of representation but as a fluid and generative process. Within this framework, philosophical concepts such as becoming in the thought of Gilles Deleuze provide deeper analytical tools for engaging with contemporary artworks. Given the formal and conceptual complexities of Anish Kapoor’s oeuvre—particularly his red wax installations and mirrored sculptures—there arises a need for a philosophical and interdisciplinary interpretive approach to adequately apprehend their aesthetic and conceptual dimensions.<br />Research objective: This study seeks to analyze Kapoor’s works through the lens of Deleuzian becoming—a concept that encompasses flux, transformation, instability, and perpetual creation. The research aims to demonstrate how Kapoor’s art serves as a visual instantiation of becoming, producing experiential events that transcend conventional notions of representation and align with the creation of singular artistic occurrences in the moment.<br />Research method: This qualitative and theoretical investigation adopted an analytical-interpretive method within an interdisciplinary framework of art and philosophy. Drawing on literature review and Deleuze’s theoretical corpus, the study examines Kapoor’s red wax works and mirrored sculptures as case studies, selected for their close engagement with the logic of becoming.<br />Conclusion: The findings indicate that Kapoor’s artworks—especially Svayambh, Past, Present, Future, and Cloud Gate—operate not as static objects but as dynamic processes of continual transformation. These works dissolve the boundaries between matter, time, space, and the viewer, generating experiences of becoming that embody Deleuze’s conception of art as event, creation of meaning, and lived experience. Ultimately, the study argues that Kapoor’s work cannot be comprehensively understood without reference to Deleuze’s ontology of becoming, which offers a deeper insight into the dynamic ontology of contemporary art. https://bagh-sj.com/article_228160_16029703562551494312b6209d6812cb.pdf