Biennale reconnects China with Kerala’s ancient Muziris heritage

Massive scroll painting by late Chinese artist Li Bo’an on display at Kottapuram Fort

Kochi, Dec 17: Kottapuram Fort, a stop on India’s ancient trade route and part of Kerala Tourism’s ‘Muziris Heritage Project’, is a venue in the ongoing Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) 2016. A giant scroll painting by the late Chinese artist Li Bo’an is exhibited at the fort.

Chinese scholar Li Tuo details the work that the late artist Li Bo'an
 put into 'Walking Out of Bayan Har', the scroll painting exhibited at Kottapuram Fort

The scroll, titled ‘Walking Out of Bayan Har’, measures 1.88 m high and 121.5 m wide. It has been reproduced on plastic and stretched out at the fort. The artwork has the quality of a mural painting on paper – something that is rare not only in China but anywhere in the world.

Kottapuram fort, built in 1523 by the Portuguese, was captured by the Dutch in 1663.  Before the Portuguese, there were the Romans, the Greeks, the Chinese and the Arabs who came to the Malabar Coast in search of fragrant spices, specifically pepper, also known as black gold.  

The fort, situated at the mouth of the Periyar in Thrissur district, is one of the 12 venues for the four-month-long Biennale. Excavations in the fort area – located on the Malabar trade route – have reinforced historical evidence of Chinese trade with Kerala. Among the many items dug up are coins, inscriptions and porcelain from China.

KMB 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty, whose curatorial vision for the art extravaganza involves invoking the meaning of tradition and exploring it through fresh perspective, said the ancient fort was an apt location to showcase Li Bo’an’s work. Shetty was introduced to the artist, who died in 1998, by noted Chinese scholar Li Tuo.

“There have been many archeological discoveries in this area. There is a lot of history about China’s relationship with India here,” said Li Tuo, who presented a talk on the scroll painting at Kottapuram fort on Friday (December 16).

The scroll depicts 266 Tibetan villagers living under the foot of the Bayan Har Mountain. The artist spent 10 years working out of his living room, painting a few meters at a time on the artwork, which he did not get a chance to see in its entirety during his lifetime.

 'Walking Out of Bayan Har', a scroll painting by late Chinese artist Li Bo'an, is exhibited at Kottapuram Fort -- a venue of Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016

“The scroll exhibited is a print on plastic. The original was created with traditional Chinese materials: ink, brush and thin Chinese paper. It is remarkable that he painted such immense figures in this way on this kind of very fragile paper. The effect is miraculous,” Li Tuo said.

Traditional Chinese art often relies on techniques of lines and brush and paper and the complicated relationship between methods exists even today. According to Li Tuo, using such methods to depict modern people is extremely difficult.  

“The perspective in Li Bo’an’s works is different from a traditional western painting although when I first saw his work I thought of Michelangelo and Renaissance painting. In combining traditional methods of Chinese painting with 20th Century modernism, he was trying to solve the problem of how to bring traditions alive in the eyes of contemporary people,” he said.

“Many people say that the painting is dead and it no longer has a meaning but after seeing the works of Li Bo’an, I feel we have entered a new environment and scene of painting,” he said.

बोधगया बिनाले का शुभारम्भ

बिहार के बोधगया में सांस्कृतिक संस्था कैनवास द्वारा बोधगया बिनाले का शुभारम्भ आज से हो गया।  23 दिसम्बर तक तक चलने वाले इस आयोजन में करीब 40 देशों के कलाकार हिस्सा ले रहे हैं।

अरुण पंडित की सुन्दरतम कृति 

सूत्र - फेसबुक 

छायाचित्र - रजनीश राज 

समकालीन कला के वरिष्ठ कलाकारों के कलाकृतियों की समूह प्रदर्शनी पटना में

बिहार ललित कला अकादमी अपने रूटीन कार्यक्रम के तहत कला मंगल श्रृंखला के अंतर्गत दिनांक 20.12.2016 से 25.12.2016 तक समकालीन कला के वरिष्ठ कलाकारों के कलाकृतियों की समूह प्रदर्शनी का आयोजन पटना के बिहार ललित कला अकादमी स्थित कला दीर्घा में आयोजित करने जा रही है। इस प्रदर्शनी में बिहार के छः वरिष्ठ कलाकार अर्चना कुमार , बी. एन. बरियार , राना रहमान , संगीता , स्मिता एवं सुनीता डिंडा की कृतियाँ प्रदर्शित की जाएगी।  

प्रदर्शनी का उद्घाटन कला एवं संस्कृति मंत्री शिवचंद्र राम दिनांक 20-12-2016 को अपराह्न् 4.00 बजे करेंगे। जो प्रतिदिन सुबह 11.00 बजे से संध्या 06.00 बजे तक दर्शकों के लिए खुली रहेगी। 

Biennale artist Aleš Šteger provides visitors with a sense of being in exile

Shaji N. Karun joins ‘guided tour’ performance for an immersive experience
 at installation ‘Pyramid of Exiled Poets’ in Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi

Kochi, December 15: Disembodied voices speak in strange tongues from within the walls of The Pyramid of Exiled Poets as you hopelessly fumble in the dark unsure of the way and wait for your eyes to catch up to your feet. This is what Aleš Šteger imagines life to be for those cast out.

Slovenian artist Aleš Šteger  at his installation 'The Pyramid of Exiled Poets' in Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi.

Over the first two days of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) 2016, the Slovenian litterateur and participating artist held a series of 10-minute walks through the pyramid installation that dominates the landscape at Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi. Like its title, ‘Fire Walk with Me’, the performance – in the guise of a guided tour – took its cue from the auteur David Lynch.

It is fortunate then that the eminent filmmaker Shaji N. Karun is in this particular ‘tour group’. The performance begins with a quick briefing outside the structure on the life of an exiled or ‘disappeared’ poet and a forewarning about the difficult path ahead.

“This is an archaeological site that references the Khufu pyramid in Giza, Egypt. This pyramid is a tomb for poets who have been exiled from republics and nations for centuries. This is their final residence. So, repeat after me: ‘Fire walk with me, far from home, I’m going to set you free’,” Šteger intones as he leads the way into the pitch black.

If, like Lynch, the intent is to unsettle, the effect is immediate as poets – both long-dead and living – moan, sigh and speak their pieces in rasping voices. These are the vocal remains and testimonies of Ovid, Dante Alighieri, Bertolt Brecht, Czesław Miłosz, Mahmoud Darwish, Yang Lian, Joseph Brodsky, Ivan Blatný and César Vallejo.

“The darkness is interestingly conceived. It is clearly a metaphor for the condition of being in exile as the voices and spirits of the past ask you to go back, but you must push forward,” said Karun, feeling his way across the mud- and thatch-lined corridors of the mausoleum.

Eminent filmmaker Shaji N Karun after experincing the  performance titled ‘Fire Walk with Me’ by Slovenian artist Aleš Šteger at Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi.

At the exit, there is a pause as each member of the tour group utters the first word that comes to mind, crumples a flyer with a poet’s name and “releases his/her spirit” in a campfire.

His role as ‘tour guide’ over, Šteger drops the pretense to reveal his artistic intention. “There is a recurring trend across and over civilisations where writers and poets are cast out of their homelands and have had their histories erased. This is both my monument to the histories kept hidden from us and an overturning of the status quo that builds memorials to tyrants,” he said.

This iconoclasm is built into the structure. Where the tombs of Pharaohs were embellished with riches, Šteger’s pyramid is built from wood, matting, mud and dung.

“There is an existential power behind this trend that someone has to go out of the territory where his or her language is spoken and being able to write for no one. I wanted to capture the helplessness someone in that situation feels so that when the visitor leaves this space, it is as though they have been reborn,” he said.

Commenting on his immersive experience, Karun said, “In having to give up their sight, visitors get a sense of what a life of absence, loss and longing might feel like.”

Poetry Session at KMB 2016 echoes lines of Chilean Poet Raul Zurita

Kochi, December 15: The Biennale Pavilion in Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi, reverberated with soulful renditions from legendary Chilean poet Raúl Zurita as he recited his early work ‘Song for His Disappeared Love’, which is both a poignant and subtly trenchant response to Augusto Pinochet’s 1973 brutal military coup in the South American nation.

Raúl Zurita reciting his poem at "An Evening of Poetry
 with Biennale artists" 

He was among six poets participating in an event, ‘An Evening of Poetry with Biennale Artists’, held on the sidelines of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) 2016. Ouyang Jianghe, Sergio Chejfec, Sharmistha Mohanty, Valerie Mejer Caso and Aleš Šteger were the other artists who recited their poems during the event. 

Ouyang Jianghe, a celebrated poet from China, started with one of his famous works ‘Taj Mahal Tears’. The rendition amplified the plight of the Ganga and the Taj Mahal, which is a strong and vibrant poetic reaction against modernity.

Argentinean poet Chejfec recited ‘Simple Language’. “We all are immigrants to languages. Every writer dreams to wield a simple language,” he said. 

Mohanty read a poem that was in tune with curator Sudarshan Shetty’s vision for KMB 2016: ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’.

Mejer Caso presented the nostalgic poem, ‘From the wave the way’, with a hint of regret and longing. She later recited ‘Of the known and foretold’, which was dedicated to Zurita.

Šteger, who read out excerpts from an anthology of poetry Book of things, explained the underlying concept of the objects communicating with the human beings.

The session was moderated by Anna Deeny Morales, who also translated the poem by Zurita. 

‘Curating the Biennale has been a learning process’: Sudarshan Shetty

Kochi, December 14: The evolution of Sudarshan Shetty’s curatorial vision for Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) 2016 and its relationship to his artistic practice formed the basis of an erudite conversation between Shetty and eminent philosopher Sundar Sarukkai here on Tuesday.

Terming his curatorial impulse – as also the Biennale – a ‘work in progress’, Shetty noted that the twin processes of ‘gathering’ and ‘erasure’ were the event’s primary agencies and not his instincts as an artist. “It would be a disaster if I was to introduce myself into this mix,” he said.

 Kochi Muziris Biennale 2016 Curator Sudarshan Shetty

 in conversation with eminent philosopher Sundar Sarukkai

 at The Pavilion, Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi.

Shetty prefers to see himself as a facilitator instead, going with the flow as KMB 2016 changes organically over its duration and perhaps beyond. “I thought to side-step the image of an artist-curator as a creator or agent of knowledge and culture and become a presenter, bringing about this conversation between different art streams and traditions,” he said.

Thus, while he brought the Biennale’s divergent components together into an inclusive space, it would gather additional layers of meaning on its own – erasing parts of itself over time to make space for other things while the residuals would keep changing with the event. “I envision the Biennale as existing both as transformative space and experience,” Shetty said.

The evening discussion at the Biennale Pavilion in Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi, saw Sarukkai probe Shetty on the nature of his core curatorial premise of ‘multiplicity’. “The Biennale straddles multiple perspectives, possibilities and positions. It does not seek to question what is ‘real’ and what is ‘representational’. This layering of multiple viewpoints on reality informs ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’, as it attempts to intertwine the conceptual with the corporeal,” Shetty said.

Riffing on Shetty’s definition of multiplicity, Sarukkai probed whether the Biennale was then ‘a process’ instead of ‘an occurrence’. Shetty said he preferred to think of it as ‘an attempt’.

“By bringing parallel disparate narratives into the story of Biennale, like a river fed by its tributaries, it attempts to negotiate the tensions that come out of the assimilation of these perspectives. This lets the Biennale accumulate meaning as it unfolds,” he said.

Coming to terms with his curatorial responsibility, though, was a long-drawn process, Shetty acknowledged. “When I was first thinking about my idea for the Biennale, I thought it would be an extension of my own practice. Over the past year, there was this need to look outside, to get into new spaces, to bring in new ideas and also to reflect on who my audience is,” he said.

This ‘need’ compelled Shetty to search for ways to bring in to the biennale space people, forms and practices that are seemingly outside it: poetry recitals, mobile lecture tours, architecture, dance performances and theatre productions, among others.

The result of that search has been the inclusion of the diverse forms and approaches to art production that has come to characterise the third edition of India’s only Biennale. 

KBF to take Indian artists for foreign art residency programmes

Kochi, Dec 13: Taking a next big leap, Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) will facilitate the Indian artists to participate in foreign art residency programmes. 

Visitors exploring  works of artists who have participated in the Pepper House  Art Residency programme at Mandalay Hall in Mattancherry.

KBF Secretary Riyas Komu made the announcement while inaugurating the exhibition of works by artists who participated in the KBF residency programmes at Mandalay Hall here.  

KBF, in association with Pepper House along with Kiran Nadar Museum, Goethe Institute, Prohelvetia andPiramal Foundation,  has been organising art residency programmes in Kochi  during the past two years.

 “We have been  receiving good response from other countries for our art Residency project right from the beginning.  Many artists from abroad came down to Kochi and displayed their work. As a next step, we will send Indian artists, who will have a short stay in foreign counties and imbibe the culture of the town and display their art work there,” said Komu.

Visitors exploring  works of artists who have participated in the Pepper House  Art Residency programme at Mandalay Hall in Mattancherry.

He also added that the project will enable the Indian artists to have a wider exposure to international art practices, besides enhancing their artistic skills.

The KBF initiative aims to create a space for expression and dialogue for artists and provide them a platform to establish and explore new possibilities.

Works of Sabine Schründer, Deepa K, Sunanda Bhat, Anja Kempe, Peter Bialobrzeski, Hans-Christian Schink, Jigesh Kumar, Augustin Rebetez, Santhosh Kalbande, Victor Hazra, Mo Reda, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim and Mohammed Kazem are on display at Mandalay Hall. 

Biennale brings 2014 edition online on Google Arts & Culture

Foundation partners with Google Cultural Institute to offer virtual tour of KMB 2014

Kochi, December 11: As curtains go up on the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) here on 12/12/16, art enthusiasts around the world will receive access to an immersive virtual tour of the exhibits and panoramic imagery at KMB 2014.

With the Kochi Biennale Foundation entering into a partnership with the Google Cultural Institute, the highlights and delights of ‘Whorled Explorations’, the Biennale’s second edition, can be relived at the Google Arts & Culture project.

Among the included experiences is the chance to ‘go back in time’ and move around 11 locations in Fort Kochi, Ernakulam and Mattancherry, including the eight KMB 2014 venues, through the ‘Street View’ feature. Visitors can select and explore in detail the works that interest them through an exhaustive collection of high-resolution images.

“By capturing the sites and settings of the artworks presented at the previous edition of the Biennale in 2014, this project will allow those who were unable to be there to experience what makes KMB the largest and most eagerly anticipated celebrated of contemporary art in South Asia. As well, for those of us who were fortunate to have been able to visit last time, the virtual tour is a chance to retrace our steps,” KMB 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty said.

At KMB 2014, specially designed Street View ‘trolley’ and ‘trekker’ took 360 degree images of selected locations, which were then stitched together to enable seamless navigation of the spaces and sites captured.

In addition, users can discover 11 interactive virtual exhibits, specially curated by the Kochi Biennale Foundation. The digital exhibitions tell the story of the artworks presented at various sites in Aspinwall House, Durbar Hall, Cabral Yard, Pepper House, CSI Bungalow, David Hall, Kashi Art Gallery and Vasco da Gama Square.

Examples of the pieces featured in the online exhibition include Yoko Ono’s postcard exhibit ‘Earth Piece’, installations such as ‘Erasure’ by Vietnamese artist Dinh Q Lê and Sahej Rahal’s ‘Harbinger’, among a host of other thought-provoking artworks. 

“The KMB seeks to invoke the cosmopolitan legacy of Kochi. The 2014 edition of the Biennale received five lakh visitors from all over the world. With this partnership, the Biennale will be experienced by more people in more places than ever before,” said Riyas Komu, KMB co-founder and Director of Programmes.

About Google Arts & Culture 

Google Arts & Culture is a new, immersive way to experience art, history, culture and world wonders from over a thousand organisations worldwide. Google Arts & Culture has been created by the Google Cultural Institute and it is available for free for everyone on the web, on iOS and Android. 

For more information, visit google.com/culturalinstitute.

Mapping Fort Kochi through its people, heritage, culture, food

Sahapedia, Kochi Muziris Biennale tie-up for ‘culture map’ detailing over 150 locales

Kochi, Dec 11:  The historic port town of Fort Kochi being a magnet for tourists and now home to India’s only art biennale, it is not unusual to sight visitors poring over handheld maps to get around; but now they have a smarter and more informative alternative.

An interactive map crafted by Sahapedia, a unique online portal documenting India’s cultural heritage, gives visitors an intimate experience of the town’s famed connections to the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British, the Chinese, the Arabs and others though the memories and perspectives of people who have lived here.

Sahapedia has collaborated with the Kochi-Muziris Biennale to put together the map with details of over 150 sites and practices - cultural centres, heritage sites, lifestyles, places of worship, public spaces and public institutions - in Fort Kochi and nearby Mattancherry.

The project  www.culturalmapping.in/fortkochi,  is scheduled to go live on December 13 at the Biennale and can be accessed on phone, tablet or computer for discerning visitors who are keen to discover the rich cultural landscape of this historic trade town.

“Kochi is a place with great creativity, great history, great art and heritage. Fort Kochi was the gateway to India from people around the world who visited, did trade and some of them even settled down here and got married and became a part of the place. It became an ideal place for us to start this fascinating project of cultural mapping,” says Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Sahapedia.

Neha Paliwal, Director, Projects, Sahapedia, says the map is not just intended for visitors from outside but also for locals who may want to record their experiences and perspectives of their hometown online for future generations.

“People don't realise the wondrous diversity of communities in the small area of Mattancherry and Fort Kochi. There are more than 30 communities living here, speaking a variety of languages and following different customs and religions. The idea for the map is to get the locals to articulate their sense of their community and offer a space as well for visitors to go beyond touristy places and perhaps provoke them into exploring some of these places,” she says.

Conceived last summer, the one-of-a-kind’ project got off the ground three months ago. Equipped with an in-house mobile app, a three-member team from Sahapedia spread out over Fort Kochi and its neighbouring areas, recording information about the basic structures, public institutions, places of worship and tourist locations, among others.

The database includes quick facts about various places, basic amenities, how to get there, etc while detailed descriptions include historical references and anecdotes.

The culture map adds a more intimate dimension to the travel experience by adding resources such as bite-sized videos recording memories and perspectives of well-known personalities like cartoonist E P Unny, who has penned a book on Fort Kochi, and author N S Madhavan, whose novel (Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal), set in this area, was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize.

Photographs, including from the biennale exhaustive collection, are also included in the map; as are vintage illustrated maps from the Dutch and the British period and clippings of newspaper articles associated with the two places.

“This project is like a kick-off point for us. We would definitely want it to go beyond and start a dialogue and create a heritage record,” says Paliwal.

The ‘evergreen project’ according to Dr Gopalakrishan is a “work in progress”, and also one that she hopes to extend to other historical cities across the country.

The cultural map is a logical extension for Sahapedia (http://www.sahapedia.org/), which was launched in April this year as an ever-growing open online resource on the arts, cultures and heritage of India.