Kochi-Muziris Biennale

In news– Fifth edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale is planned to be held in December.

About Kochi-Muziris Biennale-

It is an international exhibition of contemporary art held in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India.
It is the largest art exhibition in the country and the biggest contemporary art festival in Asia.
It is an initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation with support from the Government of Kerala.
An artist-led endeavour, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale was founded in 2011 by Kerala-born, Mumbai-based artists Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu with an aim to “create a platform that will introduce contemporary, global visual art theory and practice to India.”
Indian and international artists exhibit 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.
The current edition will have on display the works of over 90 artists from across the globe in varied media
In its tenth year, curated by Singapore-based Indian-origin artist Shubigi Rao, the central exhibition of the showcase will centre on the theme “In Our Views Flow Ink and Fire”.
First edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale was held in 2012.

History of Muziris-

Muziris was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast.
Muziris found mention in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, the bardic Tamil poems and a number of classical sources.Situated somewhere around the present day Kodungallur, the exact location of Muziris has been a matter of dispute among historians and archaeologists.
However recent excavations at Pattanam, near North Paravur, has led to some experts suggesting that the city was located there.
Muziris was a key to the interactions between South India and Persia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the (Greek and Roman) Mediterranean region.
Pliny the elder, in his Natural History, hailed Muziris as “the first emporium of India.

What are art biennales?

An international large-scale showcase of art that takes place every two years at a particular site, biennales are usually non-commercial enterprises – unlike art fairs – that centre around a curatorial theme.
One of the most prestigious and oldest biennales in the world, the Venice Biennale was established through a resolution by the city council in 1893 to celebrate national artistic talent.
Coinciding with the silver anniversary of King Umberto and Margherita of Savoy, it had in attendance artists, critics, curators and patrons.
With its rising popularity, the 1900s saw the emergence of Biennales across the world, with Bienal de São Paulo being instituted as the first non-European biennial in 1951.
In 2009, a global Biennale Foundation was established with an “aim to create a platform for dialogue, networking, and knowledge sharing among contemporary art biennials around the world”.
It lists a directory of over 200 biennales that are held at present.
Though most biennales do not allow for direct purchase of art, an invitation and participation in the global showcase is often viewed as a validation of an artist’s work, and an assertion that they are being noticed.