Students’ Biennale to exhibit works of 470 art students from 55 schools

Second edition of year-long KBF outreach initiative to culminate in exhibition opening Dec 13 

Kochi, December 10: The Students’ Biennale (SB), an art education initiative unparalleled in India in scope and ambit – will feature the works of around 470 aspiring artists from 55 schools across the country in an exhibition that runs parallel to Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016.

Hon. Minister for Education Prof. C. Raveendranath will inaugurate SB 2016, the second edition of the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s flagship art outreach effort, with an opening ceremony at 11.00 am on Tuesday, December 13, at The Biennale Pavilion in Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi.

The SB, which is second only to the Biennale in terms of scale and reach, will be on till March 29 next year. It is run in collaboration with the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) and the Foundation for Indian Art and Education (FIAE) and is supported by Tata Trusts. 

Driven by 15 emerging curators, the project reaches out to art schools throughout India, to encourage art students to reflect on their practices and showcase their works on an international stage.

Speaking at a press conference here today, KBF President Bose Krishnamachari said, “With the Students’ Biennale running in concurrence with KMB 2016, the exhibiting students and presenting curators have the perfect avenue to showcase their works to an audience of roughly half a million people over its near four month long duration. The SB will channel the energies of the Biennale platform into the Indian art education system, challenging students to go beyond the constraints imposed by both curriculum and exhibition.” 

While the immediate objective is to expose its participants to the processes that go into making and presenting a world class art event, the SB is also an opportunity to acquire skills to pursue a career in the contemporary art world.

The SB 2016 curators are: Adwait Singh, Aryan, Ajit Kumar, Faiza Hasan, C.P. Krishnapriya, Harshita Bathwal, Naveen Mahantesh, Noman Amouri, Paribartana Mohanty, Rajyashree Goody, Sarojini Lewis, Shatavisha Mustafi, Shruti Ramlingiah, Sumitra Sunder and Vivek Chockalingam.

They were selected in November 2015 from amongst hundreds of aspirants by a panel of project mentors that included Krishnamachari, KMB Director of Programmes Riyas Komu, Education Consultant Meena Vari and FICA Director Vidya Shivadas.

Over the course of the year, they reached out to 45 government and 10 private art schools – about three-four schools per curator – across India, conducting institution visits, organising workshops and interventions, and interacting with BFA and MFA students. 

“The exhibition will be the culmination of their individual journeys, research, insights and interests. But the SB is more than just spotlighting art production. Its significance lies in the building of learning spaces and niches of creativity between the academic and the professional worlds. In the long term, it is expected to mature into a space to explore the diversity of styles and assess the infrastructural challenges within the Indian art education system,” Komu said. 

The SB counts as education partners, Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts, Raza Foundation and Gallery Espace, and features collaborations with such prestigious arts bodies as Asia Art Archive and Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council.

The student curators of SB 2016 had access to an expert advisory team including Sudhir Patwardhan in Mumbai, Jeebesh Bagchi, Shukla Sawant and Belinder Dhanoa in Delhi, Sarada Natarajan in Hyderabad, Rakhi Peswani in Bangalore, Siva Kumar in Santiniketan, Indrapramit Roy, Akkhitam Vasudevan and B.V. Suresh in Vadodara.

SB 2016 will be presented across seven venues in the historic Mattancherry - Jew Town area of Fort Kochi: M.K. Trades, Kotachery Brothers & co., Arjuna Art Gallery, Heritage Arts, Mattancherry Temple Property, Mohammed Ali Warehouse and Fadi Hall.

The press conference was attended by KMB 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty, KBF CEO Manju Sara Rajan as well as a number of KBF Trustees, including Sunil V and Bonny Thomas.

‘KMB 2016 to be a dialogue between multiple perspectives and possibilities’: Sudarshan Shetty

Curatorial vision for and expectations of Biennale’s third edition outlined in run-up to 12/12/16

Kochi, December 10: On Monday, 12/12/16, the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) will get underway, setting off 108 days of the largest and most anticipated celebration of contemporary art in South Asia.

Titled ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’, KMB 2016 will feature the performances and production of 97 artists from 31 countries. Of the 36 Indians on the list, eight are from Kerala. The line-up is a mixture of styles, disciplines and sensibilities with writers, dancers, poets, musicians and theatre professionals sharing the Biennale space alongside a host of visual artists.

Expanding on his artistic vision at a press conference here today, KMB 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty said, “The eye is the only reflective organ in the body. It reflects as much back into the world as it takes. ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’ is not an image of one reality, but a reflection of multiple realities and of multiple possibilities in time. My curatorial approach was shaped therefore as a conversation between different streams and forms of art practice. This Biennale is intended as a dialogue between multiple perspectives and possibilities as it evolves within the space and through the duration of the Biennale and beyond.”

“In aid of this, there are art projects this year that will involve spaces and individuals not traditionally associated with the Biennale. For example, Latvian artist Voldemars Johansons has changed the horn sounds on a number of auto rickshaws making them ambassadors of the Biennale as they drive around the city while Argentine writer Sergio Chejfec is writing a 88-chapter novel while moving through Kochi,” Shetty added.

The media gathering also heard from KMB co-founders Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu as well as Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) CEO Manju Sara Rajan. A number of KBF Trustees, including Sunil V. and Bonny Thomas, were in attendance as well.

Thanking the state government for its patronage of India’s only Biennale, Krishnamachari said, “The KMB is fortunate to enjoy the resolute support of the Government of Kerala. We are honoured to have the Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurate the third edition of what has become a Kerala institution. We look forward to welcoming the public to their Biennale over the next four months.”

Shri Pinarayi Vijayan will officially declare KMB 2016 open at a ceremony to be held at 6.30 pm on Monday in Parade Ground, Fort Kochi. Prior to the evening function, there will be a flag hoisting at primary venue Aspinwall House, which will signal the grand opening.

“Kochi is today a pilgrimage site for art. Our stated mandate, as the People’s Biennale, is to take art out to the public and to more art spaces more inclusive. The KBF is the biggest art organisation in India to be officially empanelled to receive funding for education initiatives. The only way to thank the Government of Kerala, our highly committed corporate, cultural, diplomatic and individual patrons and partners is to keep getting better,” Komu said.

He also thanked the small army of support personnel, including masons, welders, carpenters, electricians and head load workers as well as their respective trade unions, which has extended its support to help bring out KMB 2016. 

The main exhibition — spread across 12 venues in Fort Kochi-Mattancherry and Ernakulam —will be supported by an ancillary programme of events that includes the Students’ Biennale, conversations, talks, seminars, the Art By Children and the Pepper House Residency exhibitions, workshops, Artists’ Cinema and music sessions, among other activities.

The venues for KMB 2016 are Aspinwall House, Cabral Yard, Pepper House, David Hall, Durbar Hall, Kashi Art Café, Kashi Art Gallery, M.A.P. Project Space, Anand Warehouse, T.K.M. Warehouse, Cochin Club and Kottapuram Fort.

Story of an artwork: P.K. Sadanandan on preparing his mural for KMB 2016

Renowned muralist offers insight into the work-intensive practice behind his Biennale production

Kochi, December 8: The first thing visitors to P.K. Sadanandan’s workspace at Aspinwall House are struck by is the sheer scale of the celebrated muralist’s newest piece, which will be presented at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale starting next week.

 PK Sadanandan gathers the colour Black from the 

soot that accumulates in a clay that has been kept 

atop a burning lamp for a week

Begun as soon as the first planks went up at the Biennale’s main venue in October, the in situmural covering – measuring 15m x 3m – is intended to be a work in progress over KMB 2016’s nearly four-month run. Both the production and its preparation are a study in meticulousness.

It began with the methodical creation of his colours. He sourced his black from the soot that accumulates in a clay pot that had been placed over a burning oil lamp for a week. For his red and yellow, he manually ground down saffron and yellow arsenic stones respectively – adding water to the powders to create paste. Laterite stones were ground for his yellow ochre, a slight hue variant of yellow.

He manually ground down saffron stones for his

 red colour, adding water to the powder to create paste

“Since I don’t use chemically-derived dyes, it takes a lot of research work to identify the natural materials to derive the exact shades and colours I require. The identified materials are then treated at different levels before they are used on the wall. It takes two-three weeks to get the colours ready to use,” Sadanandan said.   

Known for his elaborate works and dedication to reviving the traditional art of mural painting, the city-based artist has evolved a practice that combines local teachings in Kerala with styles from across India, taking cues from the ancient cave paintings in Ajanta and Ellora. 

“Though mural painting is a traditional art practice, I blend it with more contemporary forms,” he said. The predominant blue in his works is one notable difference from the traditional Kerala mural style where red is the principal colour. 

 Laterite stones manually ground down provided one hue of yellow

In keeping with his oeuvre, however, Sadanandan’s mural at the Biennale features icons and narratives inspired by mythology, encased within natural elements and organic world. 

“My subject has great significance when considering the present scenario on caste hegemony and issues pertaining in contemporary Indian society. This art work will evolve during the period of the Biennale,” he said. 

PK Sadanandan in the early stages of his mural painting

Manju Sara Rajan appointed Kochi Biennale Foundation CEO

First woman CEO of KBF will oversee Kochi Muziris Biennale and other Foundation activities

Kochi, Nov 20: The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) has named Manju Sara Rajan as its CEO, after the board of trustees, including Foundation President Bose Krishnamachari and Secretary Riyas Komu, approved the appointment last week.

Manju Sara Rajan

Significantly, the top two KBF administrative posts, that of CEO and CFO, are now held by women at the groundbreaking art institution, which hosts the country’s largest art exhibition, the Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB). The new CEO’s posting comes ahead of the third edition of the three month-long Kochi Muziris Biennale 2016, scheduled to begin on December 12. 

"South Asia's largest biennale, the 'People's biennale' will now be run by the young and bright Manju,” said Bose. “The board of trustees of the KBF has observed her work at the Foundation over the last few months, and we noticed her commitment, passion, and creative and administrative ability, all of which cemented the decision to invite Manju to become the CEO of our cultural family. Her journalistic and creative writing skills along with her local, regional and international experience will bring an important dimension to KMB and make this a stronger organisation."

Manju, 38, joined KBF as communications director in February. She is backed by a journalism degree from Sydney’s Macquarie University and over a decade’s experience of working in premier media houses, including Time magazine’s Asia edition in Hong Kong, and is the founding editor of AD Architectural Digest India.

As CEO, she will oversee the creative, financial and administrative management of various KBF activities, including its outreach and educational programmes. 

 “Manju’s appointment marks the formation of a formidable team that can take the foundation's activities forward with great wisdom. She will be supported by the CFO, Treessa Jaifer, who has been managing finance since the beginning of the foundation," said Riyas. He also noted that Manju, “a people's person” brings great awareness about contemporary art practices.

“KBF is a pioneering institution whose activities I have watched with great admiration over the last four years,” said Manju. “I was thrilled to become a part of the organisation earlier this year, and to work as the Director of Communications for the upcoming Biennale on 12/12/16. To now to be given this immense mandate as the CEO of the organisation is a huge honour and responsibility, but we have an experienced, enthusiastic team, so I’m looking forward to working with them in a whole new way.”

Students’ Biennale to feature works of over 350 art students from 55 schools

Second edition of year-long KBF outreach initiative culminates in exhibition at KMB 2016.
SB 2016 to open on December 13 and run concurrent to the Biennale until March 2017

Kochi, Nov 15: The second edition of the Students’ Biennale (SB) – a unique art educational initiative unparalleled in India in its scope and ambit – will provide a one-of-its-kind exhibitory platform for the works of over 350 aspiring artists from 55 schools across the country at India’s biggest art event that starts next month.

Kochi Biennale Foundation Secretary Riyas Komu along with
Students' Biennale curators on a site visit in Fort Kochi

SB 2016 will be inaugurated on December 13 – a day after the opening of the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) – by Prof C. Raveendranath, Minister for Education, Government of Kerala. It will be spread out over seven venues in historic Fort Kochi.

First held in 2014, the SB is a core programme in the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s (KBF) educational outreach to promote contemporary art practice in India. It is run in collaboration with the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) and the Foundation for Indian Art and Education (FIAE) and is supported by Tata Trusts.

Driven by 15 emerging curators, the project reaches out to art schools throughout India, to encourage art students to reflect on their practices and showcase their works on a international stage. The SB thus channels the energies of a global art event into the art education system, challenging students to go beyond the constraints of both curriculum and exhibition.

With the Biennale, which runs from 12/12/16 through 29/03/17, the exhibiting students and curators have the perfect avenue to showcase their works to an audience of roughly half a million people over its duration.

The immediate intent of the SB is to expose its participants to the processes that go into making and presenting a world class art event and the nuances of curatorship. It also gives them an opportunity to acquire skills to pursue a career in the contemporary art world and encourage discourse on the state of art education in India.

The Students' Biennale will be spread over seven venues in the historic Mattancherry - Jew Town area of Fort Kochi: M.K. Trades, Kotachery Brothers & co., Arjuna Art Gallery, Heritage Arts, Mattancherry Temple Property, Mohammed Ali Warehouse and Fadi Hall.

The curators for SB 2016 are: Adwait Singh, Aryan, Ajit Kumar, Faiza Hasan, C.P. Krishnapriya, Harshita Bathwal, Naveen Mahantesh, Noman Amouri, Paribartana Mohanty, Rajyashree Goody, Sarojini Lewis, Shatavisha Mustafi, Shruti Ramlingiah, Sumitra Sunder and Vivek Chockalingam.

They were selected in November last year from amongst hundreds of aspirants by a panel of project mentors that included KBF President Bose Krishnamachari, KMB Director of Programmes Riyas Komu, Education Consultant Meena Vari and FICA Director Vidya Shivadas.

Over the course of the year, they reached out to 45 government and 10 private art schools – about three-four schools per curator – across India, conducting institution visits, organising workshops and interventions, and interacting with BFA and MFA students.

The Students' Biennale – a unique art educational initiative by the Kochi Biennale Foundation – is wholly driven by 15 student curators. It will provide a one-of-its-kind exhibitory platform for the works of over 350 aspiring artists from 55 schools across the country at Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016.

SB 2016 will be the culmination of their individual journeys, research, insights and interests. It also includes collateral projects such as the initiative’s zine Pandemonium, local exhibitions of the initial outcomes from curatorial interventions and a schedule of programmes to be presented during the exhibition.

SB 2016 will be presented across seven venues in the historic Mattancherry - Jew Town area of Fort Kochi: M.K. Trades, Kotachery Brothers & co., Arjuna Art Gallery, Heritage Arts, Mattancherry Temple Property, Mohammed Ali Warehouse and Fadi Hall.

Kochi-Muziris Biennale: 30 days to 12/12/16!

Final list for KMB 2016 includes 97 artists working across diverse modes of artistic expression

Kochi, Nov 11: In just one month, on 12/12/16, the largest celebration of contemporary art in South Asia will get underway as curtains rise on the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB). Titled ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’, the Biennale will run for 108 days till 29/03/17.

Over that near-four month period, KMB 2016 will feature the performances and production of 97 artists, cutting across disciplines, forms and styles. The final list includes writers, dancers, poets, musicians and theatre practitioners along with a host of visual artists from 36 countries.

The Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, will inaugurate KMB 2016 at an official opening ceremony at Parade Ground in Fort Kochi on December 12. Prior to the evening function, a flag hoisting at primary venue Aspinwall House will signal the grand opening of India’s only Biennale.

In keeping with the artistic vision of its curator, eminent artist Sudarshan Shetty, KMB 2016 seeks to question the labels attributed to and blur the lines between various modes of artistic expression. The tone had been set as early as last year with the announcement of iconic Chilean poet-revolutionary Raul Zurita as the Biennale’s ‘first artist’.

Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi

There are 36 Indian artists from across the country participating in the Biennale, including some of the leading lights of their respective crafts. KMB 2016 will feature works by master cartoonist E.P. Unny, eminent Malayalam litterateur Anand, renowned graphic artist Orijit Sen, stage performances by Anamika Haksar and Kalakshetra Manipur, Sangam poetry recitals, dance performances and printmaking, among other artistic mediums.

“The final list of artists is but a sampling of the richness and range to be found along the art spectrum. The coming together of, and the conversations between, their diverse approaches, sensibilities, practices, creations and performances as they unfold in Kochi will showcase to the world what the ‘People’s Biennale’ is all about,” Shetty said.

The main exhibition — spread across 11 venues in Fort Kochi-Mattancherry and Ernakulam — will be supported by an ancillary programme of events that includes the Students’ Biennale (SB), a unique exhibitory platform for the works of over 350 young artists from 55 schools across the country and a core component in the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s art education and outreach efforts. The second edition of the SB will be inaugurated by Prof C. Raveendranath, Minister for Education, Government of Kerala, on December 13.

As well, there are conversations, talks, seminars, the Art By Children and the Pepper House Residency exhibitions, workshops, film screenings and music sessions, among other activities.

These are a significant aspect of the multifaceted programme presented by the Biennale. They showcase the efforts of the KBF’s year-round education and outreach activities – made possible with the support of corporate CSR programmes, institutional partners and individual patrons – to augment art education for emerging artists of all ages and foster inclusive debate and discussion on contemporary art.

The Biennale will use as venues restored heritage properties, reclaimed formerly overgrown locations, once-dilapidated godowns, public spaces, and galleries. The venues for KMB 2016 include Aspinwall House, Cabral Yard, Pepper House, David Hall, Durbar Hall, Kashi Art Café, Kashi Art Gallery, M.A.P. Warehouse, Anand Warehouse and T.K.M. Warehouse.

Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 Participating Artists:

Abhishek Hazra (Performance, India), Abir Karmakar (Painting, India), Achraf Touloub (Drawing and video, Morocco/France), AES+F (Video and photo, Russia), Ahmet Öğüt (Installation and video, Turkey/Germany), Aki Sasamoto (Performance, installation and video, Japan/USA), Aleksandra Ska (Installation, Poland), Aleš Šteger (Poetry, Slovenia), Alex Seton (Installation, Australia), Alicja Kwade (Sculpture and installation, Poland/Germany), Anamika Haksar (Theatre, India), Anand (Sculpture and book release, India), Avinash Veeraraghavan (Embroidery and video, India), Bara Bhaskaran (Drawing, India), Bob Gramsma (Site-specific sculpture, Switzerland), Bharat Sikka (Photography, India), C. Bhagyanath (Drawing, India), Camille Norment (Sound and performance, USA/Norway), Carl Pruscha and Eva Schlegel (Architecture, Austria), Caroline Duchatelet (Video, France), Charles Avery (Drawing and painting, UK), Chittrovanu Mazumdar (Sculpture and installation, India), Chris Mann (Sound and video, Australia/USA), Dai Xiang (Scroll, China), Dana Awartani (Drawing and embroidery, Saudi Arabia), Daniele Galliano (Painting, Italy), Desmond Lazaro (Installation, UK/India), Dia Mehta Bhupal (Photography, India), E.P. Unny (Cartoons, India), Endri Dani (Photography, Albania), Erik van Lieshout (Performance, Netherlands), Éva Magyarósi (Drawing and video, Hungary), Eva Schlegel (Installation, Austria), François Mazabraud (Installation, France), Gabriel Lester (Installation, Netherlands), Gary Hill (Video, sculpture and installation, USA), Gauri Gill (Photography, India), G.R. Iranna (Sculpture and installation, India), Hanna Tuulikki (Sound, word, drawing and other media, UK), Himmat Shah (Sculpture, India), István Csákány (Installation, Hungary), Javier Peréz (Video and sculpture, Spain), Jonathan Owen (Sculpture and drawing, UK), K.R. Sunil (Photography, India), Kabir Mohanty (Video, India), Kalakshetra Manipur (Theatre, India), Katarina Zdjelar (Video, Netherlands), Katrīna Neiburga and Andris Eglītis (Installation and video, Latvia), Khaled Sabsabi (Video, Lebanon/Australia), Lantian Xie (Installation, UAE), Latifa Echakhch (Visual art, Morocco/Switzerland), Leighton Pierce (Video, USA), Lisa Reihana (Video and photographs, New Zealand), Liu Wei (Sculpture, China), Lundahl & Seitl (Interactive performance, Sweden), Mansi Bhatt (Photography, India), Martin Walde (Installation, Austria), Mikhail Karikis (Video, Greece/UK), Miller Puckette (Sound installation, USA), Naiza Khan (Installation, Pakistan/UK), Nicola Durvasula and John Tilbury (Piano performance and object installation, UK), Orijit Sen (Graphic arts, India), Ouyang Jianghe (Poetry and installation, China), Padmini Chettur (Dance and video, India), Paweł Althamer (Performance and sculpture, Poland), Pedro Gómez-Egaña (Installation, Colombia/Norway), P.K. Sadanandan (Mural painting, India), Prabhavathi Meppayil (Installation, India), Praneet Soi (Drawing, sculpture and performance, India/Netherlands), Rachel Maclean (Video and film, UK), Rajeev Thakker (Architecture, India), Raúl Zurita (Poetry and installation, Chile), Ravi Agarwal (Video, sculpture and sangam poetry performance, India), Remen Chopra (Installation, India), Salman Toor and Hasan Mujtaba (Painting and poetry, Pakistan/USA), Samooha (Architectural installation and social project, India), Sergio Chejfec (Text installation, Argentina/USA), Sharmistha Mohanty (Poetry and installation, India), Shumona Goel and Shai Heredia (Video, India), Sirous Namazi (Installation, Iran/Sweden), Sophie Dejode and Bertrand Lacombe (Outdoor installation, France), Subrat Behera (Printmaking and lithography, India), Sunil Padwal (Drawing, India), T. Shanaathanan (Drawing and installation, Sri Lanka), T.V. Santhosh (Painting and sculpture, India), Takayuki Yamamoto (Sculpture, Japan), Tom Burckhardt (Installation, USA), Tony Joseph (Architecture, India), Valerie Mejer Caso (Installation, Mexico), Voldemārs Johansons (Video and sound, Latvia), Wu Tien-Chang (Installation, Taiwan), Wura-Natasha Ogunji (Drawing, Nigeria), Yael Efrati (Installation, Israel), Yang Hong Wei (Scroll, China), Yardena Kurulkar (Photography and installation, India), Yuko Mohri (Installation, Japan), Zuleikha Chaudhari (Installation and performance, India)

Storytellers descend on IGNCA for Kathakar International festival

 Schoolchildren get introduced to Japan’s Kamishibai and Kerala’s Tholpavakuthu

New Delhi, Nov 11:  Stories from faraway lands like Japan, China and Mongolia as well as from inside India were the focus of a bunch of storytellers who took turns to take children and adults alike on imaginary trips, they are unlikely to forget anytime soon.

 

A performer from Japan's Spice Arthur 702 enact Kamishibai
, a traditional Japanese theatre at Kathakar which began today at IGNCA
in New Delhi. The event brings together storytellers from India and abroad

The sixth edition of the Kathakar - International Storytellers Festival, a three-day event which began at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here, opened with a narrative on the life of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaha, concentrating on his actions as a child.

On day one, storytellers from Japan used traditional Kamishibai ‘paper theatre’, to narrate popular Japanese tales to an audience of schoolchildren.

Dressed in their country’s native costumes — Yukata, a traditional Japanese summer dress; kimonos; and Hakama, a kimono in a trouser style — the Spice Arthur 702 troupe regaled the audience with oral storytelling accompanied with hundreds of picture book images and music.

Three performers took to the stage to enact the 12th century theatre style from Japan, with the narrator recreating stories of Issun Samurai-  an old Japanese fairy tale. A dash of sci-fi was added to the mix with a narration of a Star Wars saga, using Japanese music and singing. They rounded off their performance with the story of Hikkyaku Hana-chan, featuring a Japanese Maharajah.

 

A performer from Japan's Spice Arthur 702 enact Kamishibai,
a traditional Japanese theatre at Kathakar which began today at IGNCA
in New Delhi. The event brings together storytellers from India and abroad

Flying pictures, loud and realistic sounds, and music and singing accompanied the Japanese performance.

“I use a combination of Manga (comics) with pastel crayons to create the images that go into the story. Often it takes me more than a month to create 200 images for one story,” said Pyonky, the artist who handles the paper during the show. A narrator narrates the story using voice effects, while Pyonky manages the paper and a musician provides the music.

A shadow puppetry troupe from Kerala enacted a portion of the Kamba Ramayana via the ritualistic art form of ‘Tholpavakuthu’

“Although we have performed in Delhi before, this is the first time were did a daytime perfomance. Usually the tholpavakutthu is done using leather puppets which cast shadows from behind a dark background screen,” said K Vishwanatha Pulavar of the Tholpavakuthu Sangam. 

Sarah Rundle, a professional storyteller from the UK used no props and relied on her voice and animated gestures to narrate stories from the Silk Route. Those included the story about a “boy who drew cats” and another one from China about a woman and her pig, where she got the audience to sing along with her.

“I absolutely love to tell stories. This is the second time I am performing at Kathakar. Children are the same everywhere; give them a good story and they are hooked,” said Sarah.

 Kathakar runs for three days in Delhi before moving on to Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Children listen raptly to a performance at Kathakar 

“With every edition, the festival is getting better. This is the first time we are featuring a Japanese group. When it began the idea was to showcase the traditions of storytelling in all cultures and civilisations including contemporary stories.  India is also known as a land of stories and what better than to showcase its diverse stories,” IGNCA Programme Director Smt Mangalam Swaminathan said.

She said this year the festival, a collaboration with the NGO Nivesh, is being expanded to Bengaluru for the first time.

Highlights of the festival over the next two days include a ‘Qissebazi’ by poet-actor Danish Husain from Mumbai and Jatak Katha age-old folk tales from Rajasthan by Delhi-based contemporary storyteller Jaishree Sethi. There is a panel discussion on the ‘Contemporising Stories’ on Saturday.

Additional performers at Kathakar include Namesh Bhardwaj, Shaarvari Somayagi and the students of Swamy Vivekananda Education Society from India, Gilles Abbot, from UK whose work is rooted in Viking and Celtic myth and Katy Cawkwell also from the UK whose work has included appearances at Royal Opera House and the British Museum beside international festivals.

While morning sessions are exclusively marked for school students and need to be pre-booked, those in the evening are open to the public. Entry is free and seating is on a first-come- first-served basis.

"We usually hold festivals all across the country where we invite authors from various countries to come to India. Nowadays children rarely live with their grandparents and such oral storytelling is on the decline. We hope that children get to listen to a range of stories across different cultures. It is an attempt to open the world and imagination to the children especially the underprivileged,” said Prarthana Bisht from Ghummakkad Narain, one of the organisers of the festival. 

Misako Futsuki, Director of Arts & Cultural Exchange, The Japan Foundation, adds, “We are very happy to invite Spice Arthur since we hardly have a chance to invite a storytelling group from Japan. We have traditional storytelling in Japan, although it's disappearing in this fast changing world. Spice Arthur is trying to make it more lively and exciting with their original interesting way of storytelling. It's rapid, rhythmical and entertaining with interesting stories. I'm sure, people in India will love them!”

Another first is the festival’s partnership with BookASmile who are the Supporting Partners for the festival. Farzana Cama Balpande, Head- BookASmile said, “Listening to stories is such an integral part of childhood. In the days before screen media overtook our imaginations, we depended on stories narrated by our parents, grandparents or relatives. This indigenous art gave depth and dimension to our thoughts as we grew up. BookASmile is delighted to support Kathakar in their endeavour to take enriching stories to children across Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.”

 

a traditional shadow puppetry group from Kerala

Storyteller Katy Cawkwell said, "For me, it's a great opportunity to visit India for the first time and share my stories more widely. New audiences always mean I find something new in the material myself and I am curious to find out what will emerge. I am also excited about coming to the Kathakar festival and hearing storytellers from other countries: international festivals are often rich sources of inspiration for my own work."  "This is my first time at Kathakar, but I have heard from other UK storytellers how the audiences are much more enthusiastic participants in the story, so I have chosen stories where there is an element of this,” she said.

The festival aims to support the government of India's Right To Education Act which mandates reading and libraries for all schools. The idea for the festival is to travel to children and areas where they do not have access to books, stories and reading. The festival works with private as well as state government schools including the municipal and state government schools as well as NGOs. Books are also donated to schools to start class libraries where there are none.

The festival so far has been addressed by the likes of (Late) Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Margaret Alva, Sunil Shastri, Mohit Chauhan, Nandita Das, Sushma Seth, Emily Gravett, Joanne Blake, TUUP, Joseph Baele, Xanthe Gresham, among others. The main organizers of the festival are the NGOs Nivesh and HHACH.

Kathakar will be in Bengaluru on November 14 and it will travel to Mumbai on November 17.  

Acclaimed artist Riyas Komu to launch ‘URU Art Harbour’ in Mattanchery on Nov 12

·         Art Harbour to foster cultural dialogues and encourage local artists

Kochi, Nov 10: Aiming to foster cultural engagements between the artists and local community and create a robust platform for mirroring the multi-cultural values of port-city of Kochi,  internationally acclaimed artist and Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) Secretary Riyas Komu is all set to launch ‘URU Art Harbour’ at Kochangady in Mattanchery. 

The centre, which will shape up as a vibrant, meaningful and interactive hub for arts, culture, literature, cinema, and philosophy, will be inaugurated on November 12 (Saturday) at 4 pm.

Uru Art Harbour

“URU seeks to be a space, and create ways, in which cultural production, artistic practices and creative forms constitute and manifest the nexus between the aesthetic, the metaphysical, the political, the economic, the moral and the ethical, intended in their widest senses,” said Riyas, a Mumbai–based artist.

“We can list ‘N’ number of talented people from Kerala who are pursuing their passion for art and culture. However, they are not able to return to their homeland and settle down with their activities. My effort with ‘URU Art Harbour’ is to provide a platform for cultural dialogues for artists as well as local community,” said the artist. “It is a dream project of mine; I am elated that it is finally coming to fruition.”

The centre’s activities will include book publishing, artist residencies, workshops, film screenings and seminars. Also, art exhibitions, music performances, theater, and other cultural interventions will be part of its activities.

“URU, anchored in Kochi, is rooted to the cosmopolitan and multi-cultural values that the city has celebrated and been a living embodiment of over several centuries,” he said.

 “Kerala artists have the capacity to convert their intense life experience to art form. However, they fail to elevate themselves to national or international level artists. URU will be a platform for them. Any creative stuff, including financial and political interventions, will be encouraged at ‘URU’,” noted the artist.  

Poet Kalpetta Narayanan and CPI (M) Polit Bureau member M.A. Baby will jointly release a volume on the philosophy of Sree Narayana Guru, “Guruchinthana-Oru Mukhavura” during the inaugural ceremony.

A preview of K L Leon’s painting and a musical concert by ‘Olam’ will be held as part of the inaugural event on November 12. This will be followed by a film screening ‘Kesari’ directed by K R Manoj and a discussion panelled by M V Narayanan, Sunil Ilayidam and C S Venkiteswaran. Kochi Muziris Biennale 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty will also speak.

The venue will host an art exhibition by URU Residency artist K P Reji and sculpture exhibition by K.P. Raghunath on the inaugural day. N S Madhavan, J Devika and Anitha Thampy are the dignitaries participating at launch of URU Art Centre.

Komu is a multimedia artist and activist working towards developing India’s art infrastructure. His critically-acclaimed political works have been exhibited extensively in India and abroad, including several key works on Kerala’s political and cultural history.