India’s only biennale — the Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB) — has clearly benchmarked itself as a touchstone of outstanding contemporary visual art.
Having won the admiration of art lovers and administrators the world over, it has now launched an Indian artist into the big league of art curators. KMB cofounder and noted Indian artist Bose Krishnamachari will now curate the inaugural edition of the Yinchuan Biennale in north-west China between September 9 and December 18 this year.
Built around the theme of ‘For an Image, faster than Light’, the biennale will feature 80 international artists who will showcase their works at the Museum of Contemporary Art Yinchuan, an art museum on the banks of the Yellow river.
Among the 40 artists who have already been finalised are big names like British artist Anish Kapoor, legendary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, cofounder of Kochi Muziris Biennale Riyas Komu and curator of the forthcoming edition of Kochi Biennale Sudarshan Shetty, besides renowned Indian artists like Valsan Koorma Kolleri and Benitha Perciyal.
Talking to The Hindu from Guangzhou in China, Mr. Krishnamachari called his selection to curate the all-new biennale “a huge recognition for the Kochi Biennale”, which he said was comparable to any other in the world.
“Yinchuan, like Kochi, is an emerging city with its people clueless about contemporary art. So, my focus will be on educating the local populace and ensuring public participation a la Kochi in the conduct of the biennale. The effort is to create a new art landscape and culture,” he said.
Mr. Krishnamachari had given a talk last year on the making of the Kochi Biennale, which landed him the invite to curate the Yinchuan biennale.
“This biennale in China can postulate different themes, including spiritual and social consciousness, an examination of political narratives and critical global engagement and an acknowledgment of a collective responsibility therein,” he said.
Alongside the biennale will be a host of cultural shows, music programmes and seminars.
