Kochi Tranforming Into A Shore Of Artistic Creativity

The art festival, undoubtedly the largest celebration of contemporary art in South Asia, will spread across 11 venues in Fort Kochi-Mattancherry and Ernakulam, and be supported by ancillary events that include a Students’ Biennale.

- Arya Aravind

The sea-facing heritage properties, abandoned warehouses and buildings in the port city of Kerala will soon turn into beautiful exhibition spaces for the next 100-plus days.

Kochi transforms every two years into a hub of the latest in contemporary art through the much-celebrated art extravaganza, Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB). The third edition of KMB, which is set to open on December 12 and run for 108 days till March 29, will be featuring performances and productions of 97 artists from 36 countries across disciplines, forms and styles.

Straddling the idea of ‘performative’ forms Biennale’s cornerstone and this will allow it to embrace several streams – poetry, architecture, dance, music and drama – and create a Biennale of multiplicities, which yet remains inclusive in its sum and substance. In keeping with the artistic vision of its curator, eminent artist Sudarshan Shetty, KMB 2016 seeks to question the labels and blur the lines between various modes of artistic expression.

Titled ‘Forming in the Pupil of an Eye,’ KMB 2016 will feature writers, dancers, poets, musicians and theatre practitioners along with a host of visual artists. The rather poetic title, which was envisioned by Sudarshan Shetty along with author Sharmistha Mohanty, is drawn from the Vedic idea of a sage opening his eyes to the world, and absorbing several multiplicities.