Are you a fan of contemporary art? If you are then, did you ever search for places, which highlights the best contemporary art?
This quest of mine landed me at Kochi Biennale recently and I loved the experience so much that I could not resist telling you guys all about it.
Kochi Biennale is a small world of an international exhibition of contemporary art, which is held in Kochi, Kerala.
The fun fact is, it is the largest exhibition in Asia. People from all around the world come and see the true artistic talent of the artists exposed. This exhibition has become an integral part of boosting the economy and improving tourism for the country.
Here are some of the things that I loved about the exhibition in Kochi Biennale and want to share with you.
An event bringing cultures and countries together:
Not only it is one of the biggest events for art lovers but also it brings different cultures together from around the world.
The sheer number of people and their cultural depictions in the way they were dressed and interacted was quite enjoyable. This gathering and interaction seemed an art in itself to me. Kids and adults all were welcome in this event, which made the event in Kochi Biennale different from any other art event that I had previously attended.
Opportunities for everyone:
This event was for everyone and by everyone, people from all walks of life were invited. Anyone could even be a part of this wonderful event and display contemporary art to the world.
Highlights of the Kochi Biennale: Possibilities for a Non-Alienated Life in Aspinal house.
Possibilities for a Non-Alienated Life is a nice project in Kochi Biennale which has a lot of infra projects. They cater to a wide variety of art pieces and the views of the audience on them. There was a total of 100 projects which were showcased in different places of heritage and cultural worth. The openness of the artists to interact with the audience and take the criticism and appreciation first-hand helps them improve a lot and the audience gets to see more meaningfulness in art when they get to see and talk with the artist.
The artists I highly recommend seeing in Aspinal include Priya Ravish Mehra, Tejal Shah, Shilpa Gupta, Manisha Prekh and Shambhavi. William Kentridge and Sue Williams are also impressive.
The video by Rania Stephan, especially the one with the Egyptian actress is worth seeing. The oil paintings by Saathesh are psychedelic.
Possibilities for a Non-Alienated Life in the other pavilions:
Don’t miss the exhibition at Kashi townhouse. It has some excellent work including a video by Mochu and interactive work from Afra Shafiq.
Pepper House and Durbar Hall are also worth seeing and much smaller than Aspinal house.
Students’ Biennale:
Students’ Biennale was initially put together by Foundation for Indian Art & Education (FIAE) and Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA). Students’ Biennale put over 200 projects of undergraduate and graduated Fine Arts students who get to come out in the real world and display their creativity to the public. The amazingly talented people like Shruti Ramalingaiah, Sanchayan Ghosh, Shukla Sawant, Nishad MP, Krishnapriya CP, and KP Reji curated this particular section of Kochi Biennale.
So, if you are planning to be more active in learning about contemporary art or even if you want to simply enjoy the pleasure of looking at artistic pieces then Kochi Biennale is just the place for you!
My recommended hotel in Kochi is Forte Kochi and you can read my review here.
The Biennale runs until the end of March so hurry if you want to catch it. If you miss it this month, you will have to wait two years for the next edition.