The third Kochi-Muziris Biennale that kicks off on December 12 is marked as an important event on the calendars of art lovers. It was not always like this, since the Biennale started in 2012, amidst a controversy, regarding embezzlement of funding, that was raised by art writer Johny M.L. This led to an enquiry by the Government and fear that the Biennale would not open. To their credit, Bose Krishnamachari, the president of Kochi Biennale Foundation, and his right-hand man, Riyas Komu, hosted the Biennale, despite the hurdles presented to them. They reached out to the art community to raise funds, and over time, the controversy was cleared and the art world celebrated the first Biennale, characterised by elaborate on-site installations and larger-than-life art. This was followed by Mumbai-based artist, Jitish Kallat, who curated the next edition, focusing on new media and the importance of Kochi as a port of trade. This Biennale did receive funds from the Kerala Government, and support from the art fraternity. I believe venture capitalist Asha Jadeja has poured in a fair amount of funds, becoming a Platinum Patron.
The third season of the Biennale has artist Sudarshan Shetty as the curator. The emphasis this time is a cross-pollination of different disciplines of the arts, from painting and sculpture to performance and poetry. While many in the art circles are thrilled at the prospect of a cross-disciplinary approach, some opine that the visual arts require a destination fair that promotes only art work like painting, sculpture, installations and new media. This is because there are very few venues in India that provide a platform for experimentation without the pressure of sales. The logic is that bringing literary elements into the fine art sphere may take away from the importance of the artwork and turn it into another Jaipur Literature Festival. Will Shetty’s curation rise above these concerns? Only time will tell.
The absence of big names like Subodh Gupta, Anish Kapoor and others is being filled by works that are experimental, and a selection of international artists like Taiwanese artist Wu Tien-Chang, François Mazabraud, an installation artist from France, Pakistani artist Naiza Khan, who is also doing an on-site installation, Polish artist Pawel Althamer and Lebanese artist Khaled Sabsabi. Other names among the Indian artists to watch out for are photographer Gauri Gill, painter Sunil Padwal, sculptor Himmat Shah and installation artist Praneet Soi, to name a few.
Arguably, there will always be two sides of the coin, and reflections on the Biennale’s growth and development reveal an interesting set of observations. On one hand, it has provided growth to tourism in Kochi, and several small and big businesses have thrived during this period. On the other hand, local artists expressed feeling left out from the curation that displayed artists from the big metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, alongside international artists Anish Kapoor, Francesco Clemente and others.
Another perspective is that the Biennale has provided the Indian art public with exposure to several international artists, bringing it to the standard of other important biennales like Venice and Istanbul. Having said that, this is a young Biennale, and it does have years of growth ahead of it before it can be in the league of the Venice Biennale that is over 120 years old.
One critique that does stand out is the slightly parochial nature of the Biennale, where all the curators have been male so far, and have belonged to the same clique of friends who all migrated to the city of Mumbai to make a name and earn a living. Some have even gone as far as to call it a ‘boys’ club’. While this critique can be extended to most of the art world, it would be nice to see the next Biennale being curated by a woman. The Kochi Biennale may just have the chance to change the way the world sees us, if it is willing to expand a few of its horizons.
(Georgina Maddox is the chief curator of Art Explore, besides her work as an independent critic/curator.)
