KOCHI-MUZIRIS BIENNALE

A Place Beyond Belief

Main Entrance

Kerala is not just God’s own country, but also home to India’s first ever biennale, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. The biggest celebration of art from around the world, the Biennale combines the cosmopolitan legacy of the modern metropolis of Kochi and its mythical predecessor, the ancient port of Muziris.

Kochi-Muziris Biennale was born as a result of the endeavours of M A Baby, the then Minister of Culture, who during his tenure, in 2010, approached Mumbai based contemporary artists of Kerala origin, Bose Krishnamachary and Riyaz Komu, to start an international art project in the state, which is when they came up with idea of Biennale.

After two years of hustle, the first edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale rolled out on the 12th of December, 2012 at the old Dutch colony of Fort Kochi in the metropolitan city of Kochi, and it’s the only art Biennale in the nation as yet.

As the fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale wraps up, let’s have a look at what the people’s Biennale offered this time, as well as its impact and scope.

Art delves deep into human life, history and its evolution.

From time immemorial, art has served as a medium of communication when words fail. The carvings in the caves of Ellora are an example. Founded on the conviction that art is essential in society, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is the people’s biennale in every sense. It serves as a great opportunity for the vast majority of Kerala to experience art in its best form. Keralites, the chameleons of India, have a reputation for welcoming and adapting to change. They proved their legacy right and the Biennale was welcomed wholeheartedly by the people of Kerala.

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is a path breaker in every sense. It broke the stereotype that art biennales die at a conceptual stage in India and never reach their full potential due to the prejudice that India does not have audience to appreciate and relish contemporary art. This notion as such is baseless because India is a nation whose singularity lies in her plurality; of caste, creed, race, religion, origin, geography and much more. Divided by 29 states and seven union territories, united by a single nation, Indians can be considered amongst one of the most tolerant and acceptant communities of the world.

The Biennale is set in a range of venues centred around Fort Kochi-Mattanchery, along with one at Durbar hall, Ernakulam . The Biennale spaces are, for most part, heritage properties that have been preserved, repurposed and developed for the exhibition.

Curated by Anita Dube, this year’s biennale saw around 89 artists from around the globe coming to Kochi and partaking in the celebration of art.

The general public, including myself, might not be able to grasp the true essence of the exhibits and delve deep into the greater meanings behind them. This, however, does not hinder the scope of the biennale.

As a common spectator, I enjoyed the time I spent there and even made it a point to visit it again to get a wider perspective. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that, it is not about the previous exposure to expositions as these, but rather the curiosity contained within ourselves that draws us towards the biggest curation of art in the nation.

The following pictures illustrate my journey as a common spectator at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale :

The Student’s Biennale

Students’ Biennale, an educational initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, seeks to extend and strengthen art education practices and infrastructure in India. Their intention is to expose graduate and post-graduate art students as well as young curators to the processes of contemporary art and exhibition-making. The project is led by young curators, who work with students at art schools around India. The curators are trained by an advisory and mentor group as they work towards a Students’ Biennale exhibition that runs parallel to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

Children at an ABC workshop at Aspinwall House. Source : http://artofbihar.blogspot.com/2016/12/kmb-2016-kids-given-space-at-aspinwall.html

The Biennale and its impact

The Biennale in the Indian context not only brings about perceptions of change and realities of exposition, but also curates a cultural exercise where artists become social commentators.

The exposition itself can be described as a wonderful tapestry that weaves the past and the present, facts and legends and personal anecdote and memories.

Mr. Bose Krishnamachari, the founder member and president of Kochi Biennale Foundation, says :

“The Biennale, I think, is a necessary space where art works come alive, instilling deep thoughts in spectators, and provoking insightful discussions. The Biennale also has a public nature : It moves outside the galleries and museums, expanding across large and complex public spaces. This public nature leads the Biennale becoming an eminent point of contact between art and community, enabling them to get well exposed to each other.”

Biennale’s role in enhancing Kochi’s global image and tourism

Art has no boundaries. It has no language. It is not confined to a few words and descriptions. It is infinite, and its scope is multidimensional.

Kochi’s global stand is that of a commercial port and a developing technological hub. But the Biennale provides it with a new perspective and outlook; that of the host of one of the few biennales in the world. This in turn has many social, cultural and economic benefits.

It not only enhances Kochi’s position in the global art calendar, but improves tourism as well- as artists and art lovers from around the world attend the Biennale.

Kochi has come a long way from being the “Queen of Arabian sea” to the “Biennale City” and the “Art Capital” of South Asia. The possibilities that the Kochi-Muziris Biennale opens up is endless, with a hope of giving rise to new artistic possibilities through a thorough engagement in local contexts, making it, phrased appropriately, “A Place Beyond Belief”.