Swiftly dispelling notions of apocalypse and general worldwide doom, this year’s Kochi-Muziris Biennale and India’s first ever biennale is set to kick off on 12/12/12. Like any well regarded Biennale, Kochi will see the pick of the international art community arrive in numbers to exhibit coveted artworks from contemporary artists in India and around the world exhibited in galleries, heritage buildings, public spaces and disused structures in and around the islands of Kochi and Muziris.
Which should be quite a sight given that some of the venues look like this.
Durbar Hall, one of the oldest buildings in Kochi. Built in 1850.
Aspinwall House, a large heritage property in Fort Kochi
The Cochin Club in Kochi. Known to be an exclusive British Men’s Club. Now also open to women and come December, a fair bit of art.
Along with exhibiting art, the biennale will also feature talks from noted artists, seminars, screenings as well as educational activities for schools. The point of course, is to create as much interest in the arts for people both in the artist community and more crucially, for those outside it.
All of this was revealed back in the heady days of the India Art Fair when the art world arrived one evening in the discreet precincts of our very own office. Present were Bose Krishnamachari (Artistic Director)
Riyas Komu (Director of Programmes)
and participating artists including Subodh Gupta. Seen here chatting away with our very own V Sunil.
So block your dates, book your tickets (on IndiGo, naturally) and make sure you’re there come 12 December. Public art is nothing without its public.
For more information on the event and continuous updates, you can visit the official Kochi-Muziris Biennale website here