Focussing on the theme of labour, the artwork of a collective of students from government arts colleges in Chennai and Kumbakonam, which was showcased at the Students’ Biennale in Kochi, is on display in the city as a part of an exhibition titled ‘Archiving Labour.’
The Students’ Biennale, which was a part of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, had installations curated by 15 artists who worked with students from colleges across the country.
“In Chennai, we’ve brought the art installations by the students of the Chennai and Kumbakonam arts colleges and they have looked at the various narratives and themes surrounding Labour. The students were asked to look at their personal, family history with regard to the theme and we also had several discussions surrounding the labour history of the colleges which were also woven into the art here ,” said C P Krishnapriya, one of the co-curators of the Students’ Biennale.
The exhibition, which will be open at Spaces from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. till March 30, will showcase paintings, sketches, video installations, apart from other works of 33 students.
In an installation by Sharan Raj, the audio accompanies sketches of labourers from a stone quarry near Madurai where the artist grew up. Revathy, a worker who cleans the railway tracks at the Central Station has been represented by a bust, which was made by A. Thalamuthu. According to the MFA student, the bust of the labourer, represents the need to think of who we celebrate and dedicate statues and busts to.
K. Padmapriya, a student whose art is on display said, the process of working on art for the Biennale had enabled them to research and delve deep into their family history as well as look at the concept of “labour” in the society around them with a fresh perspective.
