‘Biennale is Poetic, Slow and Subtle’ : Dayanita Singh

KOCHI:
For Dayanita Singh, the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) requires repeat visits in order to truly appreciate its ‘poetry’ and subtlety.
Following her second visit to KMB 2016 this week, the renowned artist said the Biennale was “how art was meant to be exhibited”. “This is a very poetic, slow and subtle Biennale. It is not in your face, it’s something that stays with you. This is what I love about the KMB,” Singh said.
An acclaimed photo artist and image-maker, Singh had been to the Biennale shortly after its opening on 12/12/16. Following her tour of Aspinwall House, she noted that a third visit would be needed if she wanted to see the evolution of the artworks over time.
“I am fascinated that this Biennale has thrown up so many works that just linger in my mind when I travel. You have to keeping back to it. The last time I was here, I would go to Sharmistha Mohanty’s room as a way of slowing myself down and then end up on the benches at Camille Norment’s space. This was my parikrama,” she said.
It takes this investment of time and energy to coax the Biennale’s vision to reveal itself, Singh observed. “It’s not like ‘these are the great artists’ or ‘these are the great works’, which is a big relief. Of course, there are aspects that you would like more of and some works you want to keep coming back to,” she said.
“What holds it all together is Sudarshan Shetty and his vision. If you think of this Biennale as a large work that comes from within his mind, then it is absolutely fascinating,” said Singh, who was a participating artist at KMB 2014.
“Having an artist as the curator is what makes the KMB so unique. An
artist-curator is very different from a curator and I see that at this Biennale because I really feel the different aspects to Sudarshan’s thinking in the works that he has selected,” she said.