DAY 1 “ Ache, I need to go for Biennale. Will you take me?”
DAY 2: “.… take me?”
DAY 3: “………….. TAKE MEEEE?” -
“ 28th of Dec.” Finally! The date was fixed and the thought of going for Biennale excited me :)
WHAT IS BIENNALE?
Ever cared to peek into the world of contemporary art and artists? Have/Haven’t... doesn’t really matter here, Biennale is the key to their world- if you want to explore, use it!
Portraying the works of artists from all around the globe at 12 different venues, Kochi-Muziris Biennale is one of the greatly celebrated international art galas.
What is like to be at Biennale? - Walking around the different venues I could see all sorts of crowds- some were keenly interested in the art, comprehending each and every work, carefully reading through every description( this was mostly foreigners - not so surprised by that fact!), then there were others, a totally contradicting group with sarcasm on their face ( the fact that contemporary style not lighting up any part of their brain seemed to irritate them! ). There were people chilling out with family/friends, and people with cameras hanging around, looking for photographs in everything ( people like me ;) ).
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY SPEND THE DAY AT BIENNALE
Biennale art, which started on the 12th of Dec 2016, lasting all the way until 29th of March 2017, is spread across the whole of Kochi, around every corner you can find various efforts being constantly made! Precisely speaking, there are 12 different venues :
- Aspinwall House
- Pepper house
- Kashi Art Café
- Cochin Club
- Cabral Yard
- David Hall
- Durbar Hall
- Kottapuram Fort
- MAP Project Space
- TKM Warehouse
- Anand Warehouse
- Kashi Art Gallery
Except for Durbar Hall and Kottapuram fort the locales are situated at a walking distance, do not worry about getting lost or not being able to find the place, you will be provided with a map once you register ( you won't be needing a map, though, all you got to do is follow the crowd! The place is damn crowded… )
You will have to dedicate 2 whole days if you want to visit all the venues listed above ( I don’t think that would be sufficient if you are truly fascinated by artworks and want to study each exhibit closely. ) Once you collect your tickets at the Aspinwall house, you are all set to diagnose the contemporary art!
The Aspinwall house, a large sea-facing property, is one of the main venues for Biennale. You’ll get to see a lot of variety put up here, some of which I have shown below.
Once you are done at the Aspinwall House, you can either go around as you wish or take the route that we did- Cochin Club, David Hall, Pepper House, Cabral Yard, and Kashi Art Cafe ( and if time and mostly, your mood permits, MAP Project space, Anand and TKM Warehouse). Durbar Hall and Kottapuram Fort would certainly need to be given separate days.
This year's Biennale titled "Forming in the Pupil of an eye," homes many exemplary works that truly makes one open their inner eye.
Then there is this "Sea of Pain" - a reminder about the cries of Syria's refugees. This year a special interesting feature of student's Biennale has also been included, where the works of about 470 aspiring student artists have been put up.
| The great Pyramid of exiled poets- a tomb designed by the artist Ales Stegar for the cast out potes, awaits at the Aspinwall, greeting all the visitors! |
This piled up rubble, for example, is one of the exhibits you will find at this years Kochi Biennale (at Aspinwall). To the artists it must have been... um well... something really artistic I guess :'D , to most people this was just crap (I could see sarcasm written clearly on some faces as they walked in), to me, anyway, this was a perfect rubble pile I shouldn't have missed for a Silhouette- Thanks to mom and dad for having patiently posed! :)
If you can't actually comprehend what the artist meant, give it your own meaning! - This is what I have learned at Biennale- Out from Biennale with an increased creative capacity!! :) :P
| The exhibit on Life sized photographs of the deceased portraying the trending fashion( 1st photograph from the top left) was a bit haunting!! The painting( second to the last) by P.K.Sadanandan, is made using natural colors- 15m long, 3m wide. |
David Hall, Pepper House and Kashi Art Cafe serves as Cafes too, so you take a break at these places to fill your tum!
| Yummy food served :) |
To know more about Kochi Muziris Biennale, its Curator, and the various artists please do go through their site - https://www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org/
A COLLAGE OF WHAT I GOT TO EXPERIENCE
| Some of the most cherish-able moments. |
PS: Do let me know of your experiences too, can't wait to hear them! :)
