View source for Kochi-Muziris Biennale

{{refimprove|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox recurring event
| name        = Kochi-Muziris Biennale
| native_name = കൊച്ചി-മുസ്സിരിസ് ബിനാലെ /<br />കൊച്ചി-മുചിരി ദ്വൈവാര്‍ഷിക കലാപ്രദര്‍ശനം
| native_name_lang = ml
| logo        = Kochi-Muziris Biennale Logo.jpg|logo_caption=Logo of Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012
| begins      = 12 December 2016
| ends        = 29 March 2017
| genre       = International Art Exhibition ([[Contemporary art]])
| location    = [[Kochi]], India
| website     = {{url|http://www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org}}
}}

The '''Kochi-Muziris Biennale''' is an international exhibition of contemporary art held in [[Kochi]], [[Kerala]]. It was the first [[Biennale]] of its kind that was held in India.<ref name="1st Kochi-Muziris Biennale">{{cite news|title=Kochi becomes Biennale city|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/kochi-becomes-biennale-city/article4194320.ece|publisher=The Hindu|date=13 December 2012|accessdate=2013-01-17}}</ref>  The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is an initiative of the [http://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/ Kochi-Biennale Foundation] with support from the [[Government of Kerala]] . The exhibition is set in spaces across [[Kochi]], [[Muziris]] and surrounding islands with shows being held in existing galleries, halls,and site-specific installations in public spaces, heritage buildings and disused structures.

Indian and international artists exhibits artworks across a variety of mediums including film, installation, painting, sculpture, new media and performance art.Through the celebration of contemporary art from around the world, The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to invoke the historic cosmopolitan legacy of the modern metropolis of [[Kochi]], and its mythical predecessor, the ancient port of [[Muziris]].

Alongside the exhibition the Biennale offers a rich programme of talks, seminars, screenings, music, workshops and educational activities for school children and students.<ref>http://www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org/#</ref>

The second edition of the biennale cost about Rs 17 crore, slightly up from the Rs 16.5 crore spent on the first edition. The Kerala government’s contribution fell to Rs 3 crore from Rs 9 crore despite pleas for financial assistance.The organisers relied on sponsorship and online crowd funding for meeting the expenses. The number of visitors grew to 5 lakh in the second edition, an increase of 1 lakh from the first edition.<ref name="cppr.in">http://www.cppr.in/innews/urban-space-dialogue-cppr-and-biennale/</ref>

== The Birth of Kochi-Muziris Biennale ==
In May 2010, Mumbai based contemporary artists of Kerala origin, [[Bose Krishnamachari]] and [[Riyaz Komu]], were approached by then culture minister of Kerala, [[M. A. Baby|M.A Baby]] to start an international art project in the state. Acknowledging the lack of an international platform for contemporary art in India, Bose and Riyas proposed the idea of a Biennale (a large scale international exhibition) in Kochi on the lines of the [[Venice Biennale]].

==Kochi Biennale Foundation ==
The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) is a non-profit charitable trust engaged in promoting art & culture and educational activities in India; primary amongst them the hosting of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. KBF works around the year to strengthen contemporary art infrastructure and to broaden public access to art across India.

The Kochi Biennale Foundation is also engaged in the conservation of heritage properties and monuments and the upliftment of traditional forms of art and culture.

KBF was founded in 2010 by artists [[Bose Krishnamachari]] and [[Riyas Komu]] .

== First Kochi-Muziris Biennale  ==
[[File:Aspinwall House.jpg|thumb|Aspinwall House]]
The First Kochi-Muziris Biennale began on 12 December 2012.<ref name="1st Kochi-Muziris Biennale" /> The Biennale hosted 80 artists with nearly 50 percent foreign artists, site-specific works and a sustained education programme in the three months. As a run-up to the event, in April, the Durbar Hall Kochi will host German modern artist Eberhard Havekost's exhibition “Sightseeing Trip”, held in collaboration with Dresden State Art Collections. The Aspinwall House exhibits the art works of 44 artists spread across the premises.

Entry was free till 23 December which was then replaced by ticketed entry at Rs.50 to help pay for daily running costs. According to artist and Kochi-Muziris Biennale  artistic director [[Bose Krishnamachari]] support has come in many forms. Shalini and Sanjay Passi held a INR 25,000-per-head dinner in the [[Thiruvananthapuram|capital]] to raise funds, raising {{INRConvert|550000}}. [[Google]] met with the foundation and has offered help with the website, which received 7.5 million hits in the first month. The Jindals of [[Jindal Steel and Power Limited]], the late [[Kerala Congress (Jacob)|Kerala Congress]] leader [[T.M. Jacob]], R.K. Krishna Kumar of [[Tata group]], Jayanta Matthews of [[Malayala Manorama]] and the businessman Shibu Mathai have all donated.<ref name="Kochi’s gift">{{cite news|title=Kochi’s gift to the world|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/kochis-gift-to-the-world/article4448003.ece|publisher=The Hindu|date=24 February 2013|accessdate=2013-02-25}}</ref>

The sites for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale were: 
{{Div col|cols=3}}
# [https://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/aspinwallhouse/ Aspinwall House]
# David Hall
# [https://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/pepper-house/ Pepper House]
# Moidu's Heritage
# Durbar Hall
# Cabral Yard
# [https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/parade-ground-kochi/449 Parade Ground]
# [[Fort Kochi beach]]
# Kashi Art Gallery
# [https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/jew-town-mattancherry/416 Jew Town Road Godown]
# Rose Street Bungalow
# Cochin Club
# [[David Horvitz]]
{{Div col end}}

==Reactions and Controversies==
According to [[Tate Modern]], Kochi-Muziris Biennale was the best biennale they had ever seen. The biennale accrued 150,000 visitors in its first month and 250,000 visitors in its second, averaging a thousand visitors a day (as high as 5,000 daily and 10,000 on weekends, early January). Local people have stepped up, on an individual level, realising what the biennale has done for them, socio-economically and culturally, and in terms of putting Kochi on the international culture map, something that does not go unappreciated in [[Kerala]]. [[McKinsey & Company|McKinsey and companies]] have expressed their interest in studying the Biennale to know its economic effects.<ref name="Kochi’s gift"/>

According to Karthyayani G. Menon, director of [[Jehangir Art Gallery]] in [[Mumbai]], Kerala — unlike Mumbai, [[Baroda]] or [[Kolkata]] had not been in the forefront in encouraging artists and giving them good platforms but now she hoped that the biennale would mark a change to that situation.<ref>{{cite news|title=‘Biennale reflects changing Indian art scene in a decade’|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/biennale-reflects-changing-indian-art-scene-in-a-decade/article4422823.ece|publisher=The Hindu|date=17 February 2013|accessdate=2013-02-26}}</ref>

Many eminent artists in Kerala raised concern over the alleged lack of transparency in the way the funds were spent by Kochi-Muziris Biennale foundation. At the same time many known contemporary artists of the state of Kerala had come out in support of the event as it could help in enhancing the image of Kochi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Biennale will enhance Kochi's image: artist|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article2798367.ece|publisher=The Hindu|date=13 January 2012|accessdate=2012-12-14}}</ref>

With the 2016 [[Indian 500 and 1000 rupee note demonetisation|demonetization of the Indian economy]], several artists and the organizers of the Biennale had to overcome a struggle to get things in place for the opening of the exhibition. However, the Biennale received a boost when at the official opening, the government of the southern state of Kerala promised $1.1m funding and support for a permanent venue to cement its place as the Venice Biennale of South Asia. Chief Minister [[Pinarayi Vijayan]], who is the leader of the Left Democratic Front government and long-time secretary of the [[Indian Communist Party]] in the state, said the Biennale matched Kochi’s multi-layered history of settlement by Arabs, Chinese, Jews, Portuguese, Dutch, English and different migrant communities from India. Vijayan announced 75m rupees in funding for the Biennale, the highest sum a state government in India had given an arts event. His government would support a permanent venue for the “mega-prestigious” event that had been the key to the success of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, he said.

==First Urban Space Dialogue in Kochi==

In March 2015, the Kochi Muziris Biennale Foundation partnered with Center for Public Policy Research, Cochin for the first Urban Space Dialogue in Kochi to advocate for the need for creating urban spaces in Kochi.<ref>http://www.cppr.in/article/urban-space-dialogue-a-fusion-of-creativity-and-reality/</ref>  The Dialogue featured Nuru Karim of Nu.De; Raj Cherubal of Chennai City Connect Foundation and Advisor to CPPR; Dr Dhanuraj, Chairman, CPPR; Jitish Kallat, Curator of Biennale 2014-15; Bose Krishnamachary and Riyas Komu founders of the Biennale.<ref name="cppr.in"/>

== The Third Kochi-Muziris Biennale ==
The third edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale opened on 12 December 2016 and is curated by [[Sudarshan Shetty]].<ref name="Kochi-Muziris Biennale Announces The Curatorial Vision">{{Cite web |url=http://www.biennialfoundation.org/2016/10/kochi-muziris-biennale-curatorial/ |title=Kochi-Muziris Biennale Announces The Curatorial Vision |date=October 1, 2016 |publisher=Biennial Foundation}}</ref> Sudarshan was declared curator of the 2016 Kochi-Muzirs Biennale by the Minister for Culture, [[K. C. Joseph (Irikkur politician)|K. C. Joseph]] at an event in the State capital Thiruvananthapuram on July 15, 2015.<ref name="Kochi Biennale Foundation Announced Sudarshan Shetty As The Artistic Director And Curator Of The Third Edition Of Kochi-Muziris Biennale">{{Cite web |url=http://www.biennialfoundation.org/2015/07/kochi-biennale-foundation-announced-sudarshan-shetty-as-the-artistic-director-and-curator-of-the-third-edition-of-kochi-muziris-biennale/ |title=Kochi Biennale Foundation Announced Sudarshan Shetty As The Artistic Director And Curator Of The Third Edition Of Kochi-Muziris Biennale |date=July 15, 2015 |publisher=Biennial Foundation}}</ref> He was unanimously chosen as curator by an Artistic Advisory Committee appointed by the Kochi Biennale Foundation for the third edition. The Committee comprised artists [[Amar Kanwar]], [[Atul Dodiya]], [[Bharti Kher]] and Jyothi Basu, art critic [[Ranjit Hoskote]], patron [[Kiran Nadar]], gallerist Shireen Gandhy along with KBF trustees Sunil V, [[Riyas Komu]] and [[Bose Krishnamachari]].<ref name="A People’s Biennale: A Conversation With Kochi-Muziris Biennale Co-Founders Bose Krishnamachari And Riyas Komu">{{Cite web |url=http://www.biennialfoundation.org/2016/03/a-peoples-biennale-a-conversation-with-kochi-muziris-biennale-co-founders-bose-krishnamachari-and-riyas-komu/ |title=A People’s Biennale: A Conversation With Kochi-Muziris Biennale Co-Founders Bose Krishnamachari And Riyas Komu |date=March 9, 2016 |publisher=Biennial Foundation}}</ref> The exhibition is concurrently staged at 12 venues<ref name="Biennale 2016: Kochi all set to open its heart for art lovers">{{Cite web |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2016/dec/11/biennale-2016-kochi-all-set-to-open-its-heart-for-art-lovers-1547818.html |title=Biennale 2016: Kochi all set to open its heart for art lovers |date=December 11, 2016 |publisher=New Indian Express}}</ref> and featured 97 works as well as 20 events.<ref name="12 MUST-SEE WORKS FROM KOCHI-MUZIRIS BIENNALE 2016">{{Cite web |url=http://www.vervemagazine.in/arts-and-culture/12-must-see-works-from-kochi-muziris-biennale-2016 |title=12 MUST-SEE WORKS FROM KOCHI-MUZIRIS BIENNALE 2016 |date=January 8, 2017 |publisher=Verve}}</ref>

Sudarshan Shetty was born in Mangalore in 1961, with his family moving to Bombay within a few months of his birth. He has since been based in Bombay. His works have been exhibited in solo and group shows in India and abroad, including at the [[Gwangju Biennale]] (2000), [[Tate Modern]], London (2001), Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (2001), [[Centre Pompidou]], Paris (2011), [[Guggenheim Museum]], New York (2010), and Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2012).

The list of artists at the 2016 KMB can be found on the [http://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/kmb_2016_artists/ Kochi Muziris Biennale website]. <gallery caption="Kochi Muziris Biennale">
File:What does the vessel contain, that the river does not.JPG
File:Viewers seeing the ship of tarship by prasad raghavan3.JPG
File:Ernesto nettos life is a river.JPG
File:Live painting.jpg
File:Curatorial Note.jpg
File:Pyramid - an exhibit.jpg
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web |url=http://openart.in/2016/10/get-ready-kochi-muziris-biennale-2016/ |title=Get Ready for Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 |last=Malavika Byju |date=October 20, 2016 |publisher=Open Art |work=News report}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.in/dipin-damodharan/3-must-see-artworks-from-the-kochi-muziris-biennale-2016/ |title=3 Must-See Artworks From The Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 |date=December 17, 2016 |publisher=The Huffington Post}}

== Further reading ==
{{Cite web |url=http://www.biennialfoundation.org/2017/01/timely-provocations-the-3rd-kochi-muziris-biennale/ |title=Timely Provocations: The 3rd Kochi-Muziris Biennale |last=Robert E. D’Souza and Sunil Manghani |date=January 10, 2017 |publisher=Biennial Foundation |page=Feature}}
Rachel A. Varghese, 2017. "[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-47623-0_9 Past as a Metaphor in the New Utopian Imaginations of Heritage in Kerala]", in [[Tereza Kuldova]] and Mathew A Varghese (Eds.). ''Urban Utopias: Excess and Expulsion in Neoliberal South Asia'', New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 169-180.ISBN 978-3-319-47622-3.


{{commons category-inline|Kochi-Muziris Biennale}}
{{List of Biennales}}
{{coord missing|Kerala}}

[[Category:Art exhibitions in India]]
[[Category:Art biennials]]
[[Category:Kochi-Muziris Biennale|*]]
[[Category:2012 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Culture of Kochi]]