The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is providing a major international platform to lesser-known Indian artists to showcase their works, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has said.
On his visit to Aspinwall House, the main venue of the festival, on Saturday, he said he was impressed with the mix of foreign and Indian artists at the fourth edition of the biennale. “I particularly liked Bapi Das’ embroidery work,” he said, adding: “I am really happy to see works by up-and-coming Indian artists.”
As for the works at the current biennale, Mr. Yechury made a special mention of the work by South African artist William Kentridge. “I have heard about him. This is the first time I got a chance to see his work. I really liked the multi-layered nature of the work which touches upon so many important aspects of South Africa,” he said. On the possibility of the 19th-century Aspinwall House being made a permanent venue of the biennale, he noted that the previous V.S. Achuthanandan government had made an attempt to acquire the sprawling sea-facing space but could not do so because of legal complications. “The world over, famous museums are built in spaces that were warehouses. I think Aspinwall is a perfect venue for Biennale,” he said.
Jyotika Kalra of the National Human Rights Commission was all praise for its curatorial theme based on a non-alienated world. “I feel everyone is part of the biennale,” she said.
