March 25, 2013

Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012...!!



Kochi - Muziris Biennale was the first of its kind to be staged in India in more than 110 years of its history. Held in the old world town of Fort Kochi and surroundings, this exhibition of contemporary art was also an amalgam of culture and history. With artists from different corners of the world uniting for the brilliant displays of art work, the whole of Fort Kochi was painted down. The old spice godowns, the dingy rooms, the dusty attics,  the narrow alleys, the barren walls, the uprooted trees, the disused structures,  the old dilapidated buildings and the galleries and halls of Fort kochi and surrounding islands came alive during the biennale which was held from December 2012 to March 2013. With the tourist season at its peak, the visitors kept profusely flowing in and it included not only the locals but also foreign tourists, celebrities and politicians. The biennale a magnificent visual experience with a plethora of paintings, photography, sculptures, graffiti, videos, seminars, documentary screenings, workshops, music and performance art. The dingy and spicy aroma filled rooms and attics of the many heritage buildings and dilapidated structure were so thoughtfully used for the art display. The main venue was Aspinwall House along with Pepper house, Moidu's Heritage Plaza, David hall, Kashi Art gallery and Durbar hall. Even though there was not much support from the well known artists, this display of contemporary arts by numerous artists from across the globe did turn out to be a huge success.  I did have a few personal favourites- Look Back by Daniel Connell, Last Supper Gaza by Vivek Vilasini, Black Gold by Vivan Sundaram, Shock of Time by Sun Xun, Islamic Violins by Ibrahim Quraishi, Life is a River by Ernesto Neto, Citizens Band by Angelica Mesiti and Oil canvases by Ratheesh.T. 

I was there on the final two days of the event and that is the reason why this post could not reach out to all when the event was in its full swing. Here is a link to their website- http://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/

For those who could not make it to Kochi- Muziris Biennale, here are a few photographs from the same.

Kalamkari art
HFV Project by Ariel Hassan
Old paper cuttings framed inside Kashi art cafe
An old cartoon strip by O V Vijayan
Look Back by Daniel Connell
Dutty Water by Wangechi Mutu

Ways of Seeing by Vivek Vilasini

Last Supper Gaza by Vivek Vilasini

Display of different varieties of rice grains
Art work by Maya Arulpragasam

Art work by Maya Aulpragasam

Art wok by Rashid Rana

Soundtracks by Dylan Martorell

Soundtracks by Dylan Martorell

Lonely Planet by Julian Rosefeldt

Disturbed Places by Marcel Odenbach




Silent Dialogues

Silent Dialogues

Cloud for Kochi by Alfredo Jaar
Celebration in the Laboratory by Atul Dodiya
Celebration in the Laboratory by Atul Dodiya
Veni, Vidi, Vici by L.N.Tallur
Veni, Vidi, Vici by L.N.Tallur

Stop Over by Sheela Gowda and Christoph Storz
Stopover by Sheela Gowda and Christoph Storz

Black Gold by Vivan Sundaram

Drawings by school children

Crossfire by Shahidul Alam

Open and Close by Zhang Enli

Tug of War by P.S. Jalaja


Talking Skins by Clifford Charles

Talking Skins by Clifford Charles

Shock of Time by Sun Xun

Shock of time by Sun Xun

Mahayanam- The Great Procession by Prabhakaran.K

Mahayanam- The Great Procession by Prabhakaran.K



Pancha Mahabhuta by T.Venkanna
Pancha Mahabhuta By T.Venkanna

Visitors watching a documentary 




Leave Your Shoes Here by Hossein Valamanesh
Islamic Violins by Ibrahim Quraishi

Destuffing Matrix by CAMP

Thoombinkal Chathan by K.P.Reji

Boatman by K.P.Kishnakumar

The Insufficiency of Images by Gert Jan Kocken
The Insufficiency of Images by Get Jan Kocken

Steps from Villa Sebollini, Belaggio by Clifford Charles

Life is a River by Ernesto Neto

Life is a River by Ernesto Neto


Desert of Pharan by Ahmed Mater
Desert of Pharan by Ahmed Mater

Photography by Srinivasa Prasad

Photography by Srinivasa Prasad

Photography by Srinivasa Prasad

Citizens Band by Angelica Mesiti

Citizens Band by Angelica Mesiti


Citizens Band by Angelica Mesiti


Citizens Band by Angelica Mesiti

Art work by Thomas Florschuetz

Art work by Thomas Florschuetz
Art work by Thomas Florschuetz
Sculpture by K.P.Krishnakumar
What are We? by Sosa Joseph

What are We? by Sosa Joseph

Queen City Series by Cyprien Gaillard
Work by Carlos Garaicoa

Work by Carlos Garaicoa
Oil Canvas by Ratheesh.T

Oil Canvas by Ratheesh.T

Indian Jewish Identity by Rahul.S.Ravi

Indian Jewish Identity by Rahul.S.Ravi

Indian Jewish Identity by Rahul.S.Ravi












Kochi- Muziris Biennale 2012 was a brilliant display of extra-ordinary works by a set of highly talented artists.





34 comments:

  1. :) awesome captures !!

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  2. Very interesting post Niranjan! Very captivating pictures. Sometimes modern-art is like quiz with no definite answers. I really din't get what is 'veni vidi vici' in that sculpture! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Kusum. I absolutely second that. Most modern art works are quite tough to define. Veni vidi vici means I came, I saw, I conquered. :)

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    2. Haha ... thank you for being a translator for Julius Caesar :)

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  3. Quite a long and detailed post...Thanks for sharing!

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  4. wow!!!! ive been reading and seeing so many blogs of this that I really wish i had been able to go and see it too!!! fantastic captures

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. I had a last minute dash and it was definitely worth it.

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  5. Hi Niranjan,

    Thanks for the exhaustive post on this important event. It is gratifying to see this happening. Time to travel to Kochi!!

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  6. Hi Niranjan,

    Lovely pieces of art shared through lovely pictures. Thanks for the post.

    Regards
    Padmapriya
    http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  7. Really good blog entry. I just loved it. Great photographd

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  8. wow, the artworks are amazing. i am always a supporter of upcoming artists

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  9. Exhaustive coverage of art exhibition by you Niranjan, please keep it up

    ReplyDelete

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