Kochi: Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, the prime heritage zones of Kochi, are racing ahead with last-minute arrangements for another edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale beginning on Wednesday.
The event featuring contemporary art from across continents for 108 days will showcase the works of 94 artists until March 29 next year at ten venues.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the event, curated by artist Anita Dube, which will also feature seminars, workshops, lectures, cinema and performances, Wednesday evening.
The curatorial theme of ‘Possibilities for a Non-Alienated Life’ encourages visitors to participate in its course beyond being viewers.
For that, the Biennale pavilion will double up as a public space for conversation. “The pavilion will have no hierarchies over who could speak on what, how long, when and in which language,” says Ms Dube. “It is energised by the interactions between works, the dialogue sparked between artistic voices and practices. The audience is invited to share, to listen, and even to challenge the space.”
The emphasis on interaction will be a defining feature of the upcoming festival, said Bose Krishnamachari, president of the Kochi Biennale Foundation.
He further notes that Ms Dube has been credited with curating the first biennale anywhere in the world with more than half of the participating artists are women.
The inaugural function at Parade Ground will begin with a Chenda Melam orchestra led by Peruvanam Kuttan Marar. NRI tycoon Yusuffali MA, Nilima Sheikh, artist, and Feroze Gujral, director, Gujral Foundation and trustee of the Biennale will address the gathering. A live performance by Bangalore-based Vasu Dixit Collective will follow.
