KOCHI:
In connection with World Water Day on March 22, Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), in association with Lulu Mall, Kochi will organise a pop up gallery at the mall by artist Vipin Dhanurdharan to highlight the significance of conservation of water resources.
A pop up gallery is an art gallery organised for a short period of time. The artist’s work in a video format, titled ‘Petrichor’ (a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first drops of rain), speaks about the deteriorating state of canals and water bodies in and around Fort Kochi which were once the mainstay of its flourishing trade and commerce.
‘Petrichor’ laments the gradual disappearance of canals and water bodies from the public place despite their crucial role in the history of Kochi. It revolves around the conversations the artist had with the residents of the city about their lives around these canals. They would tell stories about the commercial traffic along the canals; how they first learned to swim in these waters and how there used to be ponds which are now vanishing without a trace. Their daily lives depended upon it and these ponds and canals were once the public places around which the community gathered.
“Unfortunately, these canals and water bodies which were once the lifeline of residents of Kochi will find it difficult to etch their mark in the history. Neither the water bodies nor the life surrounding it would get any importance in the history as they are slowly fading away. Petrichor is an attempt to revive their lost glory,” says Dhanurdharan.
“Through this work, I have attempted to reflect on this grave issue of fading water resources. I believe it is the primary duty of an artist to focus on issues near him/her as it can help to look at larger issues,” he notes.
Dhanurdharan is a Kochi-based self-taught artist living who works with different media such as drawing, video, installation and performance. Along with his independent practice, he has been working with KBF since the first edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB). He is also the founding member of Kalakakshi, an artist collective. The artist will be working in the space, making screen-prints, during the exhibition.
