KOCHI:
In just one month, on 12/12/16, the largest celebration of contemporary art in South Asia will get underway as curtains rise on the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB). Titled ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’, the Biennale will run for 108 days till 29/03/17.
Over that near-four month period, KMB 2016 will feature the performances and production of 97 artists, cutting across disciplines, forms and styles. The final list includes writers, dancers, poets, musicians and theatr
The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, will inaugurate KMB 2016 at an official opening ceremony at Parade Ground in Fort Kochi on December 12. Prior to the evening function, a flag hoisting at primary venue Aspinwall House will signal the grand opening of India’s only Biennale.
In keeping with the artistic vision of its curator, eminent artist Sudarshan Shetty, KMB 2016 seeks to question the labels attributed to and blur the lines between various modes of artistic expression. The tone had been set as early as last year with the announcement of iconic Chilean poet-revolutionary Raul Zurita as the Biennale’s ‘first artist’.
There are 36 Indian artists from across the country participating in the Biennale, including some of the leading lights of their respective crafts. KMB 2016 will feature works by master cartoonist E.P. Unny, eminent Malayalam litterateur Anand, renowned graphic artist Orijit Sen, stage performances by Anamika Haksar and Kalakshetra Manipur, Sangam poetry recitals, dance performances and printmaking, among other artistic mediums.
“The final list of artists is but a sampling of the richness and range to be found along the art spectrum. The coming together of, and the conversations between, their diverse approaches, sensibilities, practices, creations and performances as they unfold in Kochi will showcase to the world what the ‘People’s Biennale’ is all about,” Shetty said.
The main exhibition — spread across 11 venues in Fort Kochi-Mattancherry and Ernakulam — will be supported by an ancillary programme of events that includes the Students’ Biennale (SB), a unique exhibitory platform for the works of over 350 young artists from 55 schools across the country and a core component in the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s art education and outreach efforts. The second edition of the SB will be inaugurated by Prof C. Raveendranath, Minister for Education, Government of Kerala, on December 13.
As well, there are conversations, talks, seminars, the Art By Children and the Pepper House Residency exhibitions, workshops, film screenings and music sessions, among other activities.
These are a significant aspect of the multifaceted programme presented by the Biennale. They showcase the efforts of the KBF’s year-round education and outreach activities – made possible with the support of corporate CSR programmes, institutional partners and individual patrons – to augment art education for emerging artists of all ages and foster inclusive debate and discussion on contemporary art.
The Biennale will use as venues restored heritage properties, reclaimed formerly overgrown locations, once-dilapidated godowns, public spaces, and galleries. The venues for KMB 2016 include Aspinwall House, Cabral Yard, Pepper House, David Hall, Durbar Hall, Kashi Art Café, Kashi Art Gallery, M.A.P. Warehouse, Anand Warehouse and T.K.M. Warehouse.
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 Participating Artists
Abhishek Hazra (Performance, India), Abir Karmakar (Painting, India), Achraf Touloub (Drawing and video, Morocco/France), AES+F (Video and photo, Russia), Ahmet Öğüt (Installation and video, Turkey/Germany), Aki Sasamoto (Performance, installation and video, Japan/USA), Aleksandra Ska (Installation, Poland), Aleš Šteger (Poetry, Slovenia), Alex Seton (Installation, Australia), Alicja Kwade (Sculpture and installation, Poland/Germany), Anamika Haksar (Theatre, India), Anand (Sculpture and book release, India), Avinash Veeraraghavan (Embroidery and video, India), Bara Bhaskaran (Drawing, India), Bob Gramsma (Site-specific sculpture, Switzerland), Bharat Sikka (Photography, India), C. Bhagyanath (Drawing, India), Camille Norment (Sound and performance, USA/Norway), Carl Pruscha and Eva Schlegel (Architecture, Austria), Caroline Duchatelet (Video, France), Charles Avery (Drawing and painting, UK), Chittrovanu Mazumdar (Sculpture and installation, India), Chris Mann (Sound and video, Australia/USA), Dai Xiang (Scroll, China), Dana Awartani (Drawing and embroidery, Saudi Arabia), Daniele Galliano (Painting, Italy), Desmond Lazaro (Installation, UK/India), Dia Mehta Bhupal (Photography, India), E.P. Unny (Cartoons, India), Endri Dani (Photography, Albania), Erik van Lieshout (Performance, Netherlands), Éva Magyarósi (Drawing and video, Hungary), Eva Schlegel (Installation, Austria), François Mazabraud (Installation, France), Gabriel Lester (Installation, Netherlands), Gary Hill (Video, sculpture and installation, USA), Gauri Gill (Photography, India), G.R. Iranna (Sculpture and installation, India), Hanna Tuulikki (Sound, word, drawing and other media, UK), Himmat Shah (Sculpture, India), István Csákány (Installation, Hungary), Javier Peréz (Video and sculpture, Spain), Jonathan Owen (Sculpture and drawing, UK), K.R. Sunil (Photography, India), Kabir Mohanty (Video, India), Kalakshetra Manipur (Theatre, India), Katarina Zdjelar (Video, Netherlands), Katrīna Neiburga and Andris Eglītis (Installation and video, Latvia), Khaled Sabsabi (Video, Lebanon/Australia), Lantian Xie (Installation, UAE), Latifa Echakhch (Visual art, Morocco/Switzerland), Leighton Pierce (Video, USA), Lisa Reihana (Video and photographs, New Zealand), Liu Wei (Sculpture, China), Lundahl & Seitl (Interactive performance, Sweden), Mansi Bhatt (Photography, India), Martin Walde (Installation, Austria), Mikhail Karikis (Video, Greece/UK), Miller Puckette (Sound installation, USA), Naiza Khan (Installation, Pakistan/UK), Nicola Durvasula and John Tilbury (Piano performance and object installation, UK), Orijit Sen (Graphic arts, India), Ouyang Jianghe (Poetry and installation, China), Padmini Chettur (Dance and video, India), Paweł Althamer (Performance and sculpture, Poland), Pedro Gómez-Egaña (Installation, Colombia/Norway), P.K. Sadanandan (Mural painting, India), Prabhavathi Meppayil (Installation, India), Praneet Soi (Drawing, sculpture and performance, India/Netherlands), Rachel Maclean (Video and film, UK), Rajeev Thakker (Architecture, India), Raúl Zurita (Poetry and installation, Chile), Ravi Agarwal (Video, sculpture and sangam poetry performance, India), Remen Chopra (Installation, India), Salman Toor and Hasan Mujtaba (Painting and poetry, Pakistan/USA), Samooha (Architectural installation and social project, India), Sergio Chejfec (Text installation, Argentina/USA), Sharmistha Mohanty (Poetry and installation, India), Shumona Goel and Shai Heredia (Video, India), Sirous Namazi (Installation, Iran/Sweden), Sophie Dejode and Bertrand Lacombe (Outdoor installation, France), Subrat Behera (Printmaking and lithography, India), Sunil Padwal (Drawing, India), T. Shanaathanan (Drawing and installation, Sri Lanka), T.V. Santhosh (Painting and sculpture, India), Takayuki Yamamoto (Sculpture, Japan), Tom Burckhardt (Installation, USA), Tony Joseph (Architecture, India), Valerie Mejer Caso (Installation, Mexico), Voldemārs Johansons (Video and sound, Latvia), Wu Tien-Chang (Installation, Taiwan), Wura-Natasha Ogunji (Drawing, Nigeria), Yael Efrati (Installation, Israel), Yang Hong Wei (Scroll, China), Yardena Kurulkar (Photography and installation, India), Yuko Mohri (Installation, Japan), Zuleikha Chaudhari (Installation and performance, India)
