KMB 2016: When INKtalks Came to the Biennale

KOCHI:
The stories of four artists participating in the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) will be featured in INKtalks, after the innovative public platform organised a ‘Salon’ on the sidelines of the international contemporary art festival today.
INKtalks founder Lakshmi Pratury who calls herself a “curator of stories” organised the INK event with KMB 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty and artists Abhishek Hazra, Desmond Lazaro, Dia Mehta Bhupal and Pedro Gómez-Egaña, at the Biennale Pavilion in Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi.
The INKtalks are inspired by the famed TED talks. They are personal narratives that get to the heart of issues in 18 minutes or less and capture and share breakthrough ideas, uplifting stories and surprising perspectives. They are available to view for free on the Internet. Over the last six years, the talks have covered 400 stories.
“I believe that when these stories are told, it leads to action. So, I am excited to be partnered with the Biennale this year to tell you the stories of four artists. When this goes on the Internet and is viewed by millions of people, we will get a peek into the story behind the Biennale’s journey. But what is most powerful is the journey itself,” Pratury said.
Pratury commended Shetty on his curatorial vision and likened his role as a good coach who knows when to take the work of art away from the creator. During the conversation with Pratury, Shetty said h
e was initially confused after reading a lot on curating. But he then settled down to the “opportunity to go out there and look for things”.
“I was interested in how to sidestep the role of curator of knowledge and culture and look at it as a host,” said Shetty, who added that it would be a great idea to keep changing the title of the Biennale: ‘Forming in the pupil of the eye’.
“Maybe it is an opportunity to write another curatorial statement to sum it all up. But there are more such beginnings to come throughout the Biennale,” he said.