With the Kochi Muziris Biennale set to get under way on 12/12/16, work is well in progress for a landmark collaborative project that brings together artists from either side of the Arabian Sea. The ‘Trans-Indian Ocean Artists Exchange’ — an initiative by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in collaboration with Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, and Dutch artist and curator Mo Reda — intends to work on the historical exchange between Kerala and West Asia and explore the possibilities of developing new forms of exchange based on contemporary art and culture.
Artists Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim and Mohammed Kazem, both from the UAE, are currently wrapping up a two-month residency at Pepper House, Fort Kochi, which will culminate in a display of their works at an exhibition there, parallel to the biennale.
Spirit of city
“Each city, each place has its own feel, its own atmosphere. Being in residency in Kochi has put me in touch with the spirit and materials of the city. I think I have struck a friendship with Kochi. This will be reflected in my work, which will be built of paper and rock,” said Mr. Ibrahim, a pioneering artist whose work has been exhibited across the world, including in Venice, Bonn, Havana, Cairo and Moscow.
“Working in residency here has been an opportunity to interact with the various elements of Kochi’s social life, the movement of its people and its natural environment. Both my art practice and project capture these elements and give them a visual context,” said Mr. Kazem.
Mr. Kazem, who co-curated the 2007 Sharjah Biennial, has presented his work in Venice, Singapore, Dubai, and Beijing.
In early 2017, two Indian artists – to be selected from respondents to an open call that will be issued next week – will travel to Sharjah to work in residence at the Maraya Art Centre. The artists will research historical ties, current realities, and future possibilities while looking back at the centuries-long economical and cultural involvement between the two regions.
The works of all four artists will then be shown at exhibitions independently curated by Reda. “ Being in residency while implementing a project naturally stimulates the exchange of ideas and knowledge. The artists do their own research, exploration and have their moments of serendipity,” said Reda, who is working with the philosophical theme of ‘Solipsism’ for the Kochi exhibition.
