Free Art Exhibit Runs Through December

Visitors can view a major retrospective of Anish Kapoor’s printmaking at the Jordan D. Schnitzer Museum of Art in Portland without paying an entry fee. The exhibition, titled 'Dissolving Margins,' features roughly 150 works from the artist's four-decade career. It remains on display through December 5, 2026.

This is Kapoor's first print-focused retrospective. While the artist is widely recognized for large-scale sculptures like the 'Cloud Gate' in Chicago, this collection centers on abstract prints. One sculpture, titled 'The Mirror,' is positioned near the museum's front desk. The remaining pieces focus on color, hue, and pigmentation.

Alexis Garcia, the museum's program and outreach coordinator, explained that Kapoor rarely defines the specific meaning of his work. 'There is never a right or wrong interpretation. He really likes to leave space for you as a viewer to interpret it,' Garcia said. She noted that the color red plays a central role in his art, referencing his childhood in India where red holds cultural and spiritual significance.

Garcia pointed out that the prints function as optical illusions. 'They create an optical position. The ‘Workflow Now’ series is standing in front of a quadrant board and creating pulsate. They start to breathe or pulsate,' she said. The still images appear to move when a viewer gazes at them for an extended period.

Moriah Conkel, a gallery attendant, observed that visitors spend the most time viewing the black and white collection titled 'History.' Created in 2007, these works reside in the museum's basement. Conkel attributed the long viewing times to the theme of infinity. 'I like his attempt at capturing infinity or this sense of expansiveness. I feel like he’s pretty much solely focused on this idea of the void or the horizon,' Conkel said.

Madi Hagebush, another gallery attendant, highlighted the piece 'Mother of Light,' created in 1991. The work uses shades of brown and a small white space to explore maternity and the concept of the void. Hagebush said, 'He is mainly influenced by emptiness and fullness. He talks about the void. He likes having people interpret what they think, and how they can see that in the art with lack of color in open space.'

The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Thursday hours extend until 7 p.m. The exhibit is free to the public.