Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2012-catalogue book)

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India's Fist Biennale

12112112

ENT O

Govt. of Kerala

Biennale is an initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation Kochi-Muziris with support from the Government of Kerala, India.

Kochi Biennale Foundation

Board of Trustees Bose Krishnamachari \ President Artist, Curator Riyas Komu \ Secretary Artist, Curator

Bonny Thomas \ Treasurer Writer, Cartoonist Sunil V \Joint Seceretary Executive Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy, Motherland Magazine, IndiaTube

PK Hormis Tharakan \ Trustee (Former) Secretary (R), Cabinet Secretariate, Gouernment of India Tasneem Zakaria Mehta \Trustee

Managing Trustee and Honorary Director, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai K Subhas Chandran \ Trustee

(Former) Director (Programmes), National Centre of Performing Arts, Mumbai Jose Dominic \ Trustee

Managing Director, CGH Earth Lizzie Jacob \ Trustee IAS, (Former) Chief Secretary (R), Government of Kerala

Apex Advisory Council

TKANair Adviser to the Prime Minister of India Prof. K V Thomas Minister of State for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India MA Baby

Ex-Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala

Honourary Advisors Adoor Gopalakrishnan Auteur Dr. Shashi Tharoor

Minister of State for Human Resource

Development,

Government of India

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to invoke the latent cosmopolitan spirit of the modern metropolis of Kochi and its mythical past, Muziris, and create a platform that will introduce contemporary international visual art theory and practice to India, showcase and debate new Indian and international aesthetics and art experiences and enable a dialogue among artists, curators, and the public.

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to create a new language of cosmopolitanism and modernity that is rooted in the lived and living experience of this old trading port, which, for more than six centuries, has been a crucible of numerous communal identities. Kochi is among the few cities in India where

pre-colonial traditions of cultural pluralism continue to flourish. These traditions pre-date the post Enlightenment ideas of cultural pluralism, globalisation and multiculturalism. They can be traced to Muziris, the ancient city that was buried under layers of mud and mythology after a massive flood in the 14th century. The site was recently identified and is currently under excavation. It is necessary to explore and, when necessary, retrieve memories of this past, and its present, in the current global context to posit alternatives to political and cultural discourses emanating from the specific histories of Europe and America. A dialogue for a new aesthetics and politics rooted in the Indian experience, but receptive to the winds blowing in from other worlds, is possible. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to establish itself as a centre for artistic engagement in India by drawing from the rich tradition of public action and public engagement in Kerala, where Kochi is

located. The emergence of Kerala as a distinct political and social project with lessons for many developing societies owes also to aesthetic interventions that have subverted notions of social and

cultural hierarchies. These interventions are immanent in the numerous genres and practices of our rich tradition of arts. In a world of competing power structures, it is necessary to balance the

interests and independence of artists, art institutions, and the public. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to reflect the new confidence of Indian people who are slowly,

but surely, building a new society that aims to be liberal, inclusive, egalitarian and democratic. The time has come to tell the story of cultural practices that are distinct to the Indian people and local

traditions, practices and discourses that are shaping the idea of India. These share a lot with the artistic visions emerging from lIndia's neighbourhood. The Biennale also seeks to project the new energy of artistic practices in the subcontinent. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to explore the hidden energies latent in India's past and present artistic traditions and invent a new language of coexistence and cosmopolitanism that celebrates the multiple identities people live with. The dialogue will be with, within, and across identities fostered by language, religion and other ideologies. The Biennale seeks to resist and interrogate representations of cosmopolitanism and modernity that thrive by subsuming differences through

cooption and coercion. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to be a project in appreciation of, and education about, artistic

expression and its relationship with society. It seeks to bea new space and a fresh voice that protects and projects the autonomy of the artist and her pursuit to constantly reinvent the world we live in.

Kochi Biennale Foundation

Biennale Team Artistic Director

Curators

Director of Programmes

Executive Officer

Bose Krishnamachari

Bose Krishnamachari & Riyas Komu

Riyas Komu

Shwetal A Patel

Director of Communications

Research Co-ordinator

Head of Programmes

Human Resource,

Michelangelo Bendandi

Bonny Thomas

Rajwant Sandhu

Administration &

Editorial Director

Curatorial Co-ordinator

Project Manager

Manoj Nair (until March 2012)

Valencia Vaz

Shyam Patel

Curatorial Assistant

Project Co-ordinator

Sabin lqbal

Maya Pottenkulam

Ajai

Editor, Web

Production Assistant Archa Desai

Programme Manager

Accounts Officer

Preema John (until May 2012)

Ragin Raju

Editorial Director

Abhayan Varghese Assistant, Communications Maya Menon

Editorial Assistant,

Malayalam Sajan Mani

Assistant Designer,

Balagopalan Assistant Research Coordinator Rucha Mehta (untilJuly 2011)

Vadakkath (until December 20o12)

Accounts Assistant Anju Albert

Assistant Education

Sanjay Nair (until May 2011)

Office Manager Mary Priscilla

Shankar Natarajan (until December 2012)

Co-ordinator, Education

Programme Anil Xavier Kajal C Krishna Dass

Latheesh Lakshman

Assistant Photographers

Assistant Designer

Aby P Robin Ahmed Nabeel Antony B M

Curator, Cultural

Mohammed Roshan

Girish M L

Web Design and

Development Madhusudanan Menon Vimal Xavier

Unnikrishnan (Mudra

VP Jose

Programme Co-ordinator

Viji Ramesh

Video Editors

Arnold D Rosario (until November 2012)

Anupama KT S

Travel Co-ordinator

Videographers

Manu Kurian

Bhagawan

Programmes

Bandhu Prasad Shoan Shinde (untilJune 2011)

Site Carpenters

Dhananjayan Kuttappan

Store Supervisor Office Assistants KV Sivaprakash

Deven N Bane Nilesh K Vishwakarma Sandeep B More

Sanoj K C

(untilJanuay 2012)

Keli Ramachandran

Adhil Ahamed Arjun Suresh Ashwin Kadamboor Kiran Kesav

Anoop K P

Operational Assistant Arjun A Luisa Hallman (until October 2011) Florence Dias

Sangeeth Thali Swanoop John

Assistant to Artistic Director Sanjai Deepa Antony Site Co-ordinators

(until October 2011)

Education Manager

Manager

Prasad Adimoolitharayil

Elise Foster VE

Padmini Jaykrishnan (until October 2012)

Dheeraj Thakur

Photo Archive Manager

reessa Jaifer

Head of Operations

Director of Photography

Architecture

Designer

Accounts

Ravees M Basheer Reshma EJ

Sarun Mathew Subash Wilfred

Shelly Morris

Assistant Programme Co-ordinators Bilas Nair Manu V R Jayesh L R Fahad T E lsmail

Exhibition Guides Aparna Murali

Mohammed Jinnah Unni Krishnan S

Geetha Site Electrician

Jaleel

Varghese Office Security Shanti Ranjon Das

Ashad P S

Nithosh NS

Curatorial Consultants

(Biennale Supporters Forum)

Ashil Antony

Leon KL

Athul A S Augustine Justine

Nixon Albert Nizam P S Parthan PP

Bhavin KB

Prasanth MM

Allan Jose Anil Kumar T Anusha Lewis

Biju Sankaran Binil Lonappan Clins Cleetus Dilshad

Arun Prasad

Dipu Philip

R Chidambaram Ramesh R Ramith K Ratheesh Renjith I P S Siddhartha Safeer

Gunnar Kvaran Hans UIrich Obrist Marieke van Hal Maurizio Bortolotti Neville Wakefield Robert Kluijver Sarat Maharaj

Volunteers

Sebastian Varghese Interns (Editorial)

Ashwin Sethumadhavan

Gautami GG Lydia Randall Shalet Thomas

Vinitha Chandran

Interns (Project Co-ordination) Aparna S Ayyanad Dalin S Kumar Reshmi S Sameer C

Satheesh Yassin Mohamed

Volunteer (Design) Sreeijith S Dev

Volunteers (Production) Abdul Musthaque Abin Sreedharan Adarsh N C

Agnal Ahmed Nabeel

Ajay Ajith Kumar VS Akhil Ashok Akhil N P

Alwin Amal Dev Aneesh Chalissery

Aneesh V Anhar P A

Antony Pekson Sebastian

Edwin David Sam Farid V K Fazal P A Fevin Rapheal Francesca Priest

Sajin Sajeev Salman Jamal Sanam PN

Gayathri

Sanooj

Hareesh Babu Hareesh Babu Harikrishnan B Hazil M Jalal Hemanth S Kumar Jalwa Lathief

Sarath Sasi Sarath T Shaba Arakkal Shalvin Jacob Shehsin N M Shivaprasad P Nair

Jayakrishnan

Shweta Shivraj Vala

Jayesh K Jayan

Shyju K Sijo PG Silpa Elizabeth Sajan Sinoj C Thomas Siril K J

Jeslie Antony

Jijith Raj Jimmy Mathew Jinal N Patel Joanna Parkin Joe Cyril

Jojin Joy Julia Antony Lakshmi Jayakrishnan Lalu M R Lamha Bijila Lasya T R

Sithara

Siyas Soono Sasi Sooraj V S

Sreeju Radhakrishnan Sreemon Sruthy P S

Staron Christopher

Lijumol Joseph

Steljin

Linda Jansen Maneesha Panicker Mangesh Bhair

Sujay

Manju K C Marian Hanna Noushad

Sulumon KS Teslin Josse Tony Jacob Unnikrishnan S

Anwar Sadath

Meera K

Upendrajith

Aravind Arjun R Nair

Mithra K

Victoria A M

Mohammed Sameersha

Vijil Chooliyad

Mona S Mohan

Vipin Dhanurdharan Vipin Kumar Yadav

Arun K R Arun M B Arun P

Arun Paulose Arun Ravi Arun Vijay

Ashad P S

Nausheer MN Nibin

Vishak P

Nidal K Nikhil Bose Nilesh K C Nishida C S

Vishal R Gumani Vishnu P R Vivek Sebastian Vivish Vijayan

Nithin

Yoonas PM

Thierry Raspail Architectural Consultants Vikas Dilawari, Conservation Architect Radhika Desai, Writer, Architect Ramesh Tharakan, Conservation Architect

Legal Advisor Adv. C A Majeed

Chartered Accountant Vimal Jose

Event Management AdLibs Events (until December 2012)

Media Communications MD NICHE S Suresh S Anil

TK Sreevalsan Sudhir Kumar Kariyam Ravi Smita P Srinivasan Liji Ravindran Rajesh TC Sridevi Vallath Prashant Teki Sheeba Mathew Tessy Thomas Aji Kumar Manjit Kannan

KochiMuziris Biennalee 2012

Logo Designed by Hitesh Padmashali, Mumbai

We are always grateful to our supporters, especially to those who are part of Biennale Supporters' Forum.

Each name is a brick in the wall. Aami Atmaja Abhi Parambil

Aghid VP

Baiju Parthan Balai Rajan Bara Bhaskaran Benitha Percial Benny Paul

Aji Adoor

Bijesh Alachiyil

Abhijith P S

Adoor Gopalakrishnan

Ajikumar RR Ajilal

Ajith K K Ajith K T

Bijimol KC

Biju Elavally

Jyothilal

Bimal P AA

Bindhi Rajagopal Binu Mp Bonny Thomas

Ajyakumar AV

CD Jain

Akhil Abbas TA Akhil KA Akhil K Chandran

Akhil T M Alan PV

Anandan KT

Aneesh Aneesh MV Anil B Krishna Anil Kuzhikala Anil Xavier Anitha Babu Anitha Valsalan

Anoop Antony Anoop Kammath Anu Sunil Anup Mathew Thomas Anupama Alias

Anuradha Nalappatt Anuranj Anuth U

Anvar Ali Aravind Vijayakumar Arun Dev

Subin K V

S Kannan Sabin Valsan Sachidanandan Saji C C

Suhilraj A S

Saju Mannathoor

Sukesh MV

Saju Thuruthil

Sukumaran KK

Sameer Rao Samson PS Sanam C N

SumanjithR Sumesh Balakrishnan

Sandeep

Sumith MS Sundar Suneesh KS Sunoj D Surendran Karthyayan Suresh P R

Nashid T Navaneeth C Nikhil Nikhil K C Nikhil R R

Nishad MP Njaralath Harigovindan Nuiman

PK Manoj PK Sreenivasan

C Kandan CN Karunakaran CR Rajan

Kamalahasan Karthikeyan Veloor

PS Rojan P Shobha

Kavitha Balakrishnan

Parthan P

D Vinayachandran

Deepumon N K Denny Paul

Dilip Narayanan Dileep Ramapuram

Kabita Mukopadhaya

Kavya Lakshmi K Kesavan Namboodiri Krishnakumar

Krishnakumar P K

Krispin Joseph

Kunjikuttan Lakshmi P Vinod

Dileesh Joseph Simson

Latheesh Mohan

Dilu Chakravarthy

Leon K L

Dinesh P G Divakaran E M

Divya Surjith Dr. Aju Narayanan Dr. S K Pratap Dr. Ummer Tharamel

EK Bhagathsing Febina K G Ajay G Raman

Garggi Gautham Ramachandran

Geeta Kapur Geetha Sai Geethu K Gopi Gireeshan Bhattathiripad Gokuldas TV Gopal P Sudhakar

Gopalan Gopika Raveendran

Lessya

Libeesh Lissy

MAVenu

MC Sreeji M Damodaran MJ Joy M Mahesh M Manikandan

S

Naveen MR

KS Krishnadas

Davis V JJ Dayanandan C V

Anand Anand P Prabhu Anandakrishna S

Subhash Viswanathan

Roshni R Rupesh Paul

CG Ginadevan

Alka Sivan Alphi Jose

Anamika

KJ Sohan

Roshni Kunhimangalam

Nasar Chap

CG Pramod

Chithra E G

Ambeesh Anadhu T

KA Sashidharan KB Har

Nahsim K Najumul SA

KP Ramachandran KP Reji K Reghunadhan

Alex Chandy Alex Mathew

Amal Jyothi

Johndavy Jose Thettayil Jothish KS Joy Chacko Jyothi Basu

Ajithan Puthumana

Ajith

Jitish Kallat John Joseph K lgnatius

PN Prakash

PSJalaja PSJaya

Parvathy Paul Varghese Paul Zacharlya

Paulsan Raphel

Tharakant

Prajeesh AD

Sathyanathan A

Umesh Sudhagar

Prasad A

Sayyad Amirgan Sebastin Varghese Sebin Joseph

Umesh T K

Sethu M S

Unnikrishnan C Upendranath TR

Prasanth PS Prasheedkumar M R Prasoon

Pratheesh CV Preman Ponnyam Premji T P

M Swaraj Mahesh GS Mahesh Mansil

Priscilla Prof. A Alphonsa Pushpakaran

Mahesh P M

R Sudeeran

Malavika Valsalan Mallu P Skehar

R Venu Ragesh S

Maneesh M

Rahul M M

Raja

Manoj Kuroor

Rakesh Puliyarakkonam

Manoj Vyloor

Rakeshlal RH

Hima Hari

Mathews

Hrushikesh Gopal S

Meenakshi K Mibin B

Ramith K Ramraj C M

Mithul M T

Jasinther Rokefeller

Mochish

Jayachandran A V

Mohan Padre

Reji J Chalisseril

Jayagopal

Mohandas CP

Ranjit Hoskote

Austin Konchira

Jayasree PG Jayesh K Jayan Jayin K G

Avanavu Narayanan Aziz T M Babu Mather Babu Mekkadan Babu Xavier Bahuleyan CB

Ramesh R

I Gopinath I Shanmughadas JR Prasad

Jayan K Baskaran

Reghunathan Rejaz M Sydeek

Mona S Mohan Mukesh K

Renjith I P Renjith S Dev

Mukhil Raj

Renju R Menon

Retheesh C

Jinson Joseph P F

Mukundan AV Muraleedharan K M Murali T N Dinesh

Jishnu Dev C Jithin Mohan

NSSidharthan

Jees Rajan

NS Madhavan

TD Ramakrishnan T Kaladharan TP Premjee Thankarajan VV

Thoufique

Arun R P

Athulkumar K M

Swaminath N R

Satheesan Sathya Sai

Ramesh Kunigankandy Ramesh R

Jayan A K

Surjith P G Suveeran

Sasikumar

Mary Dhanya

Arya K S Arya Krishnan Ashok Varma Athira Thoonoli

Sarath N S

Surjith

Saritha M

Arun Poulose

Arunjith K M

Sanul K KK Sarath Lal PA

Prabhakaran Prabhath TK Pradeep Kumar P

Prince D

Midhun Radakrishnan

Santhan NV

Sarin H Nair

Ramakrishnan

Arun Reghuvaran Arun Vijayan Arundas Artist

Santhakumary E N

Prabalan Veloor

Manu C A

Arun P A

Sanoj:

Sumeshan K

Ponnyam Chandran

Govindaan Kannapuram Hareendran Chalad Harikrishnan G

Arun IS

Sangeethlal P S

SujithSN

Sujitha Pathur

Sarin Babu

Prince M

Mani

Sangeetha Gupta

Suja Sarojini

Pious Kalabhavan

M Mukundan

MVFrancis

Saneesh Sangeeth T

Sudheeshkumar V

RetheeshS

Rethidevi Panicker Revathi Venu Rhithujith MV Rinsha M

Sethu S

Thulasidas KT

Unni Unni Eroor

Saju Kunhan

VA Sudeesh

Shaju

VSAjayan

Sharal Sheela Gowda Shibu Pathur Shibu V P

Shimna

VV Rajesh Krishna

Valsalan Kanara Valsan Koorma Kolleri Valsan P C Varghese Kalathil

Shine C K

Vejoy Velekkatt

Shobharai KR

Vibha K Kumar

Shyamsunder E S

Vibin Das KK

Siji R Krishnan

Vidhya Kamath

Sljo PG

Vijal Cherkatt

Sinoj P B Sivadas AK

Viji Thambi

Soniya Josse

Vijil Chooliyad Vincent Varghese Vineesh K J

Sony Issac

Vinod D Varghese

Soono Sasi

Vinod V P

Sooraj Thalassery Sooraj V S

Vinu M Pallippad

Sivaji Panickar

Sr. Ann Therese

Vinu VV Vipin Udayanan

Sreejith P R

Vipin Viswanath

Sreejith Ramanann

Vishnu A S

Sreejith S Dev

Vishnu Karun

Sreeijith T P

Vishnu PV

Sreekumar Sreekumar Kariyad

Vishnu V R

Sreekumar M

Vivan Sundaram

Sreelal K S

Vivek Vilasini

Sreemol TC

Vishnudas TB

Vivekanandh R

Sreeraj A S

Vyshakh I R

Subeesh

Zakkir Husain

Subhash KK

Kochi Mu 2ithis

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Main Sponsors

kerala God's Own Country

DLF

M

International Embassy and Institutional support

OF

Australian Government

Australlafor the Arts

Australia Council

Department of Foreign Affairs

and Trade

GOETHE

Kirigdom

INSTITUT MAX MUELLER

of the Netherlands LIGA

n A DOB

BHAVAN

POLUSH

CULTURAL

d e Trivandrum

prshelvetia

INSTITUTE

BIENNIAL FOUNDATION

Asia Link

OC

CAMOES

INSTITUToACÃO

DA COOPERAÇÃO E DA LINGUA

PORTUGAL

MINISTÉRIO D0s

NEGÓCIOs

ESTRANGEIROSs

Sponsors

RoYAL

ENFIELD

TATA Domestic Airline Partner

Publishing Partner

DC BOOKS Coogle Art Project

Google

CULTURAL

INSTITUT:

IndiGo

Government Supporters Department of Cultural Affairs (The Government ofKerala) Department of Tourism (The Government of Kerala) Corporation of Cochin Kerala Lalithakala Akademi

Major Patrons Anju Shah GP Foundation Foundation/Outset India Feroze& Mohit Gujral Gujral Kris Gopalakrishnan Pratiksha

Poonam

Bhagat Shroff Nirlon

Foundation

Trust

International Rami Farook Farook

Patrons Aarti &Amit Lohia LohiaFoundation Asha

Foundation Jadeja MotwaniJadeja Family

Dr. P Mohammed Ali Gulfar Edgar Pinto Kashi Art Gallery John Abraham

Pheroza Godrej Godrej Group Priya Paul Apeejgy Surendra Group Radhika Chopra & Rajan Anandan

Sangita Jindal JSWFoundation Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi Barjeel Art Foundation

Sunita&Vijay Choraria ArtC 18

SusTermina Paibc stch P

PoliceStation

5azaroad

Venue Partners

Aspinwall

House

(DLF India, Gujral Foundation)

Cabral Yard (DLF India,

Gujral Foundation)

Calvathy Canal Boat Yard (Cochin Port Trust) Auer ysid

Cochin Club David Hall (CGH Earth) Durbar Hall

(Lalithakala Akademi, Kerala)

Dutch Warehouse

(Abhishek Poddar)

Fort Kochi Beach

(Cochin Corporation)

Jew Town Road Godown

Kashi Art Moidu's

uogoun weinduunuuny

ans s aouud

Gallery (Edgar Pinto)

Heritage

Plaza

peoy qooer a

Jed

(Abhishek Poddar)

9ans soy

(PM Siddique)

Pepper House (Tinku & Issac Alexander) Rose Street

Bungalow (Blue House)

4S ajdeN

19

nsso

Artist Project Supporters Abraaj Capital Art Collection

United Arab Emirates

AJL Art Germany

Appan Thampuran Smarakam Thrissur Athr Gallery Saudi Arabia Bergen Kommune Norway c24 United States of America Chatterjee & Lal India Farook Foundation United Arab Emirates

Galerie Analix Switzerland Galerie Mirchandani

+

Steinruecke India

Galerie Nuke France Gallery Chemould India Gallery Maskara India

GALLERYSKE India Kashi Art Gallery India Kerala Council for Historical Research India Kiran Nadar Museum of Art

(KNMA) India

Maker Group India

Melanie Salmon United Kingdom Photokina India Project 88 India

Shanghai Art Gallery Peoples Republic of China Stefano De Alessi and Pino Calabresi ltaly Taco Vision India The Carpet Cellar India Traffic Dubai Vadehra Art Gallery India Volte Gallery India

120

Symposium Partners Asia Art Archive Hong Kong

Biennial Foundation The Netherlands Carnoustie

Group United Kingdom

Centre for International Heritage University of Leiden Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Gujral Foundation India Kerala Council for Historical Research India

Muziris Heritage Council India Outset India

Symposiums, presentations, talks and performances were held at Outset Carnoustie Pavillion, supported by Outset India and Carnoustie Croup &Resorts.

Logistics Partners

Shipping Group A Logistics New Delhi

Valverde Shipping The Netherlands Travel& Tours The Blue Yonder Kerala Osaka Travels Pvt. Ltd. Kerala

Silkroute Escapes Kerala Vice Regal Kerala

Making ofthe Biennale Documentary Hattie Bowering Producer & Director

Benjamin Pritchard & Jonathan Clabburn Directorof Photography

Charlotte Chalker Associate Producer Thomas Kuran Sound Recordist Rowan Tucker-Evans Editor Wild Beast Media FZE Production 121

Company

Sponsor A Day Melanie Salmon

Anju Shah

Outset India

Biennale Supporters Forum

Pheroza Godrej

BMW

Photokina

CGH Earth

Priya Paul

Clayfingers

Project 88

Dr. P Mohammed Ali

Rami Farook

Feroze Gujral

Ripple Premium Tea

Gallery Chemould

Royal Enfield

Galerie Mirchandani+ Steinruecke

Sangita Jindal

Guild Art Gallery

Shashi Kumar

Harrisson Malayalam

Shibu Mathai & Family

IndiGo

Srila Chatterjee

John Abraham

Sumukha Art Gallery

Kashi Art Gallery Kerala Travel Mart

Supriya & Prithviraj

Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA)

TATA

Madanlal Patodia Charitable Trust

Tony Joseph

Sukumaran

Vadehra Art Gallery

Maker Group

Vin Gangotra

Malayala Manorama

Vivan Sundaram

Manipal Global Education Services Mathrubhumi

In Kind Subport Avenue Regent Enakulam

Oberoi Group of Hotels

CGH Earth Kerala

Old Harbour Hotel Fort Kochi

Cochin Club Fort Kochi

Orthic Creative Centre Ernakulam

Creativeland Asia Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai

Park Hotels Chennai

Gautham Hospital Kochi

RPG Group Mumbai

Heritage Arts Fort Kochi

Seagull

Jaifer Vypeen Kattil

Shalini & Sanjay Passi New Delhi

Malabar House Fort Kochi

Spenta Multimedia Mumbai

Malayala Manorama Kerala

Wieden+Kennedy New Delhi

Mathrubhumi Kerala 122

Restaurant Fort Kochi

Founding Donor Membership Mohamed lbrahim Nitasha Thappar Parul Vadehra

Abraham George Air Travel Enterprises

Anto George Asha Sheth

Payal Kapoor Peter Nagy

Bhavana Kakkar Biennale Supporters Forum

Dravidian Trails Holidays

Priya Khanna Radhika Chopra Rajan Anandan Raman Schlemmer Ranjit Hoskote Ravi Cavale

Eldho Pachilakadan

Robert Montgomery

Farah Siddique

Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna Roshini Vadehra

Carborundum Universal Limited

Christopher Taylor Dr. Pramilla Baid Dr. Seena Praveen

Feroze Gujral

Gallery Chemould

Shalini& Sanjay Passi

Gayatri Sinha Gopakumar S Gulammohammed Sheikh

Shashi Kumar Shashi Lata Charitable Trust

Subhash Kuttan P

Haseena & Suresh Subramaniam

Sunitha Kumar

Indivar Art

Tikka Singh

Jacob Cherian Jacob Mathew

Upendranath T R Usha Mirchandani

KP Reji

Valeria Corvo

Kishore Singh Marieke van Hal

Vin Gangotra

Vivan Sundaram

Friends ofKochi-Muziris Biennale Aaryan Bose

Kannaki Bose

Abhay Mangaldas

Maneesha Gera Baswani Maneesha Panickar

Ancy Pottenkulam Anitha Sukumaran Binani Zinc

Martin Associates

Chalakuzhy Poulose Mammen

Mohanan CK

Chandrika Company Pvt. Ltd.

Mukundan Nalini Sivaraman Roy Mathew Shaina Mecklai

Mathew Thomas

Deepika Sorabjee Fouzia A Backer Island Hotel Maharaj Ltd Jamal A Mecklai

Shahnawaz M K

Jesudas Puthumana

Sudheesh Yezhuvath Tomoko Kuroiwa Victoria Capital Ventures Ltd.

JN Freight Forwarders Jos Martin LX \23

the

gratefully acknowledges the subport received from the þublication ofthis catalogue. Culture Fund and Nirlon Foundation Trust for

Kochi Biennale Foundation National

Towards Creative Partnerships and preserving the country's cultural heritage To augment the Government's efforts in promoting of heritage, the Public and the Private sector in the field and to facilitate Partnership between in 1996 Culture of established as a Trust under the Ministry the National Culture Fund (NCF) was under the Charitable Endowments Act. and Public sectors under their CSR policies to NCF welcomes contributions from Private 80G (2) of the and provides 100% tax exemption (under section preserve Indian art and culture contributions. and prominent visibility to its donors for their generous Income Tax

Act)

is privileged to support the first edition of the NCF in collaboration with Nirlon Foundation Trust first Biennale, an acclaimed International event "Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 Catalogue". India's was a tribute to Indian contemporary art.

\24

Art has been a vital part of my life. My parents, Rajani and Manhar Bhagat, instilled in us an appreciation of aesthetics, exposing us to various art forms, encouraging us to interact with

artists, sculptors and artisans and inspiring within

us an

understanding of their world

The financial support provided by the Nirlon Foundation Trust to the Kochi Biennale Foundation for the production of this catalogue, is an ode of appreciation to my Late father, Mr. Manhar Bhagat in allowing us the incredible opportunities to broaden our minds and soul and understand the world of art.

Encouraging creative enterprise, my parents endowed me with the means to start my own collection which allowed me to continue to engage with artists and interact with some of the most creative minds of our generation. I am proud to continue this legacy of suppoting the arts

through the publication of this catalogue celebrating India's first Biennale.

Poonam Bhagat Shroff

(Trustee, Nirlon Foundation Trust)

25

Special Acknowledgements Kochi-Muiris Biennale would not have happened without the support and handholding of many people. They were the people who believed in the project during phases of extreme difficulty and skepticism. Many of them encouraged us with their oficial support. Some ofthem talked us out of our doubs; some walked the eaxtra mile to se the project was on course and in right direction. We would like to mention here that even political differences and ideologies were set aside in their support for the biennale. The deep sense ofgratitude and obligation that we have for them cannot be expressed in words but will alwgys be remembered. We would like to make a special mention of the people of Kochi for taking it to their heart, owning it and celebrating t.

Our heart-felt gratitude to everyone from Fort Kochi and Mattancherr), ministers, bureaucrats, businessmen, art-lovers, volunteers, head-load workers, vendors, autorickshaw and taxi drivers and the þeople who had opposing vieus. We are specialy grateful to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honourable Prime Mimister of India. Mr. Oommen Chandy, Honourable Chief Minister of Kerala, Prof. KVThomas, Minister of State for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution,

of India, Member of Parliament, Ernakulam, Kerala, Mr. KC Joseph, Minister of Rural Development, Planning&Culture, Government of Kerala, Mr. KM Mani, Minister of Finance, Law and Housing. Covernment of Kerala, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister

Government

of State for tHuman Resource Development, Govermment of lndiu, Mr. K Babu, Minister of Fiherie, Ports and Excise, Mr. A P Anil

Kumar, Minister of Tourism and Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Castes, Government of Kerala, Mr. M K Muneer, Minister ofPanchayats and Social Welfare, Government of Kerala. Kochi Biennale Foundation fondly

acknowledges the commitment and vision of Mr.

MA

Baby,

er-Minister

of Education

and Cultural Aars, Goernment of Keral, MLA, in the conception and realisation of the project and Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, ex-Home and Tourism Minister, MLA. Mr. Thomas Issac, er-Minister of Finanace, MLA. for their invaluable support, Dr. Venu V, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, India, and National Museum Director- General, India and er-Secretary, Culture and Tourism, Govermmant ofKerala. for his guidance and commitment in laying thefoundation for the biennale. We also thank Mr. Tony Chammany, the Worshipful Mgyor of Cochin, Dr. N Venugopal, Chairman, GCDA, Mr. Dominic

Presentation, MLA, Fort Koch, Mr. Hibi Eden, MLA, Emakulam, Mr. TN Pratapan, MLA. Mr. VD Satheesan, MLA. Mr. KJ Sohan, er-Moyorof Cochin, Chairman, Tounplanningstanding commite, CoporationofCochin,ll other MLAs and MPs

ofthe region, Councilors ofthe Corporation ofCochin, Mr. T KA Nair, Aduiser to the Prime MiniterofIndia, Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO &MD Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Mr. Sam Pitroda, Aduiuor to the Prime Miniter ofInda, Mr. M Shivshankar, er-Director, Department of Tourism, Kerala, Mr. Sajan Peter, er-Home and Cultural Secretary, Government of Kerala, Ms. Rani George, Secretary, Department of Cultural Afairs, Kerala, Dr. V P Joy, Principal Secretary, Department of Finane Kerala, Mr. V Somasundaran, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance & IT, Kerala, Mr. Suman Billa, Secretary, Department of

Turim, Kerala, Mr. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Expendiure Seretay, DepartmentofFinanc, Kerala, Mr. Ajit Patil ond alloficiols of the Governmentof Kerala for their belief in the project.

A

Our special thanks to Mr. Namboothir, Artit, Mr. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Auteur, Ms. Geeta Kapur, Hitorian, Mt. Gulammohammed Sheikh, Ariu, Mr. Balan Nambiar, Atit, M. Sarat Maharaj, at Historian. Mr. Vivan Sundaram, Atst, Mr. Chris Dercon, Director, Tate Modern, Ms. Marieke van Hal, Director, Bennio

Foundation, Mr. Ranjit Hoskote, Poet, Art Historian and Culturol Theoris, Ms. Gayatri Sinha, Art Hutorian, Mr. G

Vijayaraghavan, Keralo State Planning Boord Member, Prof. P J Cherian, Director, Kerala Council for Historicol Ressarh Mr.

Kuriakose, Conervation Conutont, Muiru Heritage Prajet. Mr. Amrith Lal, Journalist, Benny Actor,Ms. Feroz Trustee, Foundation, Mr. C N

Gujral,

Mr.

Mammootty.

Artist, Mr. Satyapal, former Secretary, Lailthakala Akademi, Mr. N S Madhavan, Writer, Mr. Sethu, Writer, and the art communities of Kerala and India for their

commitment to art and

Karunakaran,

Gujral

society.

We thank all the artists who participated for their contribution in making the biennale a grand success along with the media and art lovers for celebrating the multicultural character of the Biennale while it echoed the cosmopolitan

legacy of the region.

27

SALT HEALS Curators' Note -Bose Krishnamachari & Riyas Komu

Even before globalisation descended upon us in the wake of a slumber called late capitalism, Kerala was the crucible of what can be better called internationalism, a fellow feeling for the other, best known to the Malayali, which of course, included cross-border, cross-cultural opportunities of trade, knowledge and humanities. Therefore, it would not be wrong to presume that cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism was it derives its a byproduct from the defining tree from which all-inclusive name: Kera vriksham, the coconut tree. It is the multiculturalism just like two and of cosmopolitanism pillar of its many byproducts, coir and copra. There are important lessons to be learnt from them. They are the eternal travellers. coir|| noun [ mass noun ] compost and for making ropes and matting. ORIGIN Iate 16th cent.: from Malayalam kayaru cord, coir copra| | noun [ mass noun ]2 coconut

kernels, from which oil is obtained.

from ORIGIN late 16th cent.: via Portuguese and Spanish

Malayalam koppara 'coconut. this sliver of The coconut is the rugby ball-shaped fruit that Arabian Sea the with India of coast southern a land on the Western Ghats on the other has on the one side and the floats on water made its own. It is a fruit the seed of which and enjoining wherever and travels like a seafarer accepting That is an ancient it. to wants grow it can grow or whoever fostered. Kerala that understanding of globalization to But coconut was only a part of Kerala's ethos. According as from Sumerian records Kerala was a major spice exporter Its fame as the land of spices attracted early as 3000 ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Egyptians in the 3rd and

BCE.

2nd millennia BCE. They were not the only ones. Later Arabs, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and the Chinese too

This is where it all comes from. Right from the drawing board we had only one wish and hope to achieve it. Capture the promise and dimensions of cosmopolitanism in a place like

Kochi, without subverting from the contemporary realities perceptions and imaginations of a glorified globalised world. Kochi-Muziris Biennale explored the possibilities of erasing all boundaries: geographical, political and personal. The offered the possibilities to create a visual culture.

topology

fibre from the outer husk of the coconut, used in potting

dried

and Jews was relatively smaller at this early stage. They co-existed harmoniously with each other and with local Hindu society, aided by the commercial benefit from such association learning from and teaching each other. Muziris was the secular port of call. A biennale before the Biennale.

came to

Kerala. But it was not just trade. It was also a transaction of cultures. Malabar, Muziris, Berkarai, and Nelcynda were

Cosmopolitanism in the true sense of the word is a metaphor for mobility, migration and co-existence in opposition to parochialism, xenophobia, and limited notions of sovereignty and nationalism. In that sense, the focus has been on the anti hegemonic and anti-homogenizing potential of cosmopolitanism, in opposition to power as it has been associated with imperial neo-liberal tendencies, transnational capital, and its corollary, economic policies. It is also perceived as a pursuit of peace and moral through the development of a strong sense of ethics It is alsoba human everywhere. other beings obligation towards to fill in the glaring gaps in of creation for knowledge platform of the world understanding the cultural and political dynamics in transition. around Our aim, then, was also to 'rescue' the dialogues and to universalism, peaceful co-existence from dogmatic undefined often these that bring them to the forefront so dialogue with the deas and doctrines are in a permanent of sorts. of everyday life. Pedagogy multicultural

practices

The biennale is a

testimony to its

success.

Al the

artsiS aso

but the theme and space not only experimented with local history, with the engaged in an intense dialogue resultea n it that in such a way Culture, myths and politics works of art. site-specific of number an enviable

with the then cuiur had a discussion an effectivetooi how art could be minister of Kerala on build brage would ed of people who n u r t u r e a new generation

among the principal ports at that time. Contemporary

When in 2010

Sangam literature describes Roman ships coming to Muziris in Kerala, laden with gold to exchange for pepper. Those exchanges were also of great thoughts including religion.

across

we

we c

worla, a better cultures and, thereby, shape India's eminen would take event that a place up discussing an level. For to the ext the global cultural map

The first church, mosque, and synagogue in India were built

in Kerala. The combined number of Muslims, Christians,

28

like

Multiculturalist thinking has changed the art world's demographics and expanded its frame of reference far beyond Western horizons. It exposed the social and ethical mechanics of art and its institutions and called traditional

Kochi, an art biennale was the obvious choice Fo land and its people who have experienced a long history of trade, colonisation and migratory experiences, making them at once receptive and responsive to novel ideas and thought, a biennale is a window of possibilities and opportunities.

aesthetic values into question. Most importantly, it reversed old patterns of exclusion and brought voices into the

A lot of history lies beneath even a small slice of art and a lot of art to fillin the chronicles of history foretold. A brush stroke, a caressing carve, a string of words or a haunting tune! Art is the only constant for the world's most critical moments. Art triumphs where dialogues and weapons fail.

mainstream that had rarely, if ever, been there before. The biennale is also an investigation into the entrails of all

the conflicts that we see around the world-conflicts that lend a modern explanation for the mutual distrust and

misgivings that pervade in not just the immediate society but also snapping at the delicate fabric of India's assertion

A Confluence of Heterogeneity

as a nation-state and the

globe that is its flat character at the same time.

There couldn't have been a better space than Kochi for symbolic free speech; a space for expressions created and

leveraged by the various social activist movements. Kochi is

ironically celebrating

It is in this backdrop that as an earnest enquiry that we propose to make Kochi the repository of emerging ideas and

the confluence of heterogeneity, a city where more than 30

non-Malayali communities have, over the centuries, come to

ideologies, an occasion to explore a mechanism to process,

find refuge, trade, proselytise and much else, only to develop roots and integrate into the local society. It is to this shore that one would bring in the practice of conflicts and contrast;

reflect and rewrite history, different histories, local, individual and collective that would confluence in Kochi. The KochiMuziris Biennale proposes to open a discourse, one that will explore a hitherto unknown language of narration.

conjoin adverse imagery with constructive imagery to create a force, specificity, confidence and conviction sometimes found wanting in the more popular, pleasing, and without doubt deceptive images.

The challenges that we faced to make the Kochi-Muziris Biennale happen began even before any work had begun and its ghosts have haunted us well after the exhibition. The

challenges ranged from fictional allegations to inexplicable

The multicultural history of Kochi owes mostly to the colonisation by the Portuguese, Dutch and the English.

lags to unimaginable financial woes to logistical run-ins. But notwithstanding these trials and tribulations we have

Though there was a thriving multicultural community in Kochi and Muziris region, a truer representation of it evolved

always believed that Kochi was the perfect space to conduct

only during and after colonization-about four centuries

the biennale.

in the making. However, decolonisation led to the rise of a new international, and national order. This new order

After the initial euphoria, nothing went right for us. Friends soon became enemies as a group of artists were spitting venom against us, taking us to court alleging financial discrepancy when on the contrary we were struggling to hold our head above the water. We had spent more than 50 per cent of the initial g ernment fund to renovate Durbar Hall in Kochi, a heritage building with over 150 years of history. We take pride in it as we believe biennales should be the bedrock for art infrastructures of international standard where none exists. In fact, the first Indian Triennale was organised in late 60s as part of nation-building initiatives to bring international art to the country and build art infrastructure to show them, but it died a slow, gradual death due to the lack of political

constantly challenges the supposed insufficiency of the pre-dated concepts of modernity, culture, art and politics by reconfiguring these concepts and ideas within the larger framework of cosmopolitanism. It is also in this larger context that we invited artists to create works that challenged the classic order and consider the consequences of the

historical, cultural, and artistic entanglement. Kochi's cosmopolitanism is one that has been worn by generations in Kerala as a badge of honour even as it has led to a series of struggles, time and again, generating a curiosity about current realities, a complex one. It is one that is at the crux of the civilisational crisis-one that is

and administrative will. In a way, Kochi-Muziris Biennale has

economical

and many of the goals that the Triennale had set over fulfilled 50 years ago.

ideological and, thereby geo-political. The compendium of these complexities is what gives the biennale a context and an enquiry. It is a quest that brought the world to these shores and it is the allure of possibilities that inspired great

It was with the similar spirit of the ancient maritime explorers that we set out to do India's first biennale. The water was unchartered. The vessel untested. The wind and waves hostile and surging. And, the task daunting. We couldn't do

thinkers and saints to embark on numerous adventures-of the body and the mind.

129

hands and took pride in it, saying: "It's my biennale!" The initial government support was a springboard. It set us up for the dive, tossed us into mid-air. But soon the changes

a project centred on cosmopolitanism without the relentless endurance and dogged determination which characterized

those historic voyages shaping a Brave New World of

in the political scenario in the state left us suspended in

mixed cultures and redefined identities borne of the myriad departures, arrivals, discoveries, nostalgia, homesickness, linguistic assimilations, cultural collaborations and, of

mid-air, poised for a free fall. We did fall. But conviction and commitment held us together; helped us gather ourselves

and move towards the destination. We had to find a way.

cOurse, wounds and healings. Our hope was that we fulfill our commitment to the society.

Few events or initiatives in lIndia received so much flak as Kochi-Muziris Biennale did since its announcement. It was

When a colourful flag went up unfurled in dry breeze at 12 at the Aspinwall House courtyard to noon on Dec. 12, 2012 the hoorays of a motely crowd of artists, guests, officials, built up a huge deficit of volunteers and workers, who had weeks few ceaselessly to ready working the over past sleep historic sigh eddied round the venues, a collective heave of the bank of optimism, perhaps with a few prayers.

not easy for us as curators because we were not just curators

who could come to a set stage and leave once the show

was on. We were the ideators, organisers, fund-managers and the public face of the whole project. Our antagonists showed no mercy in taking us apart-to the extent that their allegations became personal, questioning our integrity and even personal conduct. We had been pitchforked for abuse for thinking out-of-gallery and daring to and

had been dreaming of. It was a moment the whole art-India tears of a country of the all will biennale away wipe Not that a a biennale will see a magical that Not realities. contradicting A biennale will sprouting of art infrastructure in the country. Global South, of the as But India, part into gold. not turn

arraignment

chase India's long, elusive biennale dream.

Quitting

was never an

option, though many times because

we had believed

quivered at the edge of the precipice, that every crisis comes with a disguised opportunity. we

hay

needed a biennale. What the entire team, though short of biennale experience, has done in spite of all the shortcomings and slow processes, which had earned us a tag of "biennale in progress, was unprecedented. There were months they were not paid There were days they didn't sleep. For most of them, it was

The astonishing story of distant swimmer Diana Nyad is worth remembering here. In 2013, she became the first from Havana to Florida person to swim about 180 kilometres

at the age of 64 and in her fifth attempt, surviving poisonous

jellyfish and predator sharks across the most perilous stretch

of ocean on the planet. What kept her going was the belief that whatever is the situation: 'you'll find a way'. And, after

a learning experience. No matter what the organisers have facilitated, how magical and vintage the venues were, and

making history, she said: 'Never, ever give up!"' more

global.

change

the country. It should, more than anything else, the common man. It should cease to be elitist. The

response

of

artists

to

the

concept

bring

art to

note

was

matter

no

matter

how inspiring and challenging the concept and possibilities the artists. were, the stars of the show, on any day, were

than a path-breaking event, the biennale had to catalyst for change in the way art is made, showed and perceived. It should inspire young artists to think beyond the confines of a gallery. It should dare them to dream big and the way art is taught and learned in It should But be a

no

Without them there was no show. Right from the time of initial discussions, they had been on it, equally excited, taking all the inconveniences and delays and shortcomings in their creative stride. We salute all the artists for their commitment and enthusiasm to make Kochi-Muziris Biennale an event

that is still being discussed around the globe. How did the show go? First, the art on view at the biennale was distinctly political, interrogating the political economy of art practice itself. Much of the work that came up and unraveled transformed the viewer into a

encouraging. Most of them took time out of their busy schedule for site visits. Our 13 venues are in and around Fort Kochi and Ernakulam. We could never ask for more

participant

topical and contextual settings for a biennale centred on cosmopolitanism than the disused colonial structures at Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. Even the venues have become part of the narrative. We have placed our concept or argument right at the centre of its sociogeological context.

build. the world and worldview he had collaborated to bult had nation-states The tenuous global consensus that the when was ruled exposed on how people ought to be that exhibit local administration forced a clampdown on an focused on the opposition to the hegemonic view of woria

affairs. The blackened flags that fluttered in the courtyard or

The story of Kochi-Muziris Biennale is the story of some blood, a lot of sweat and tears of a bunch of people who set out to conquer the seas against all odds. It is also the story of the people of Kochi who embraced the project with both

Aspinwall House were a reminder that freedom of speecn

expression were not absolute rights; these are, regulated even in democracies that fear challengers.

and

30

indeed,

Elsewhere, an artist scrounged here and near to set up an interactive art space that emphasized what good art was both local and global. Memories of a forgotten people who made way for the new political economies determined by big capital showcased a side of globalised economy that fuelled wealth creation in the last decade. There were so many, so many disturbing images that ravaged ideas of art practice and production and interrogated entrenched notions and beliefs deep-rooted in the society. The gaze was on the little genocides we undertake hand-in-hand with the state. No one, we were reminded, could claim innocence as the giant wheels of the nation-state in tandem with big capital rolled over marginal societies and cultures.

biennale to be digitized by Google Art Project and making it available to millions of people around the globe. We didn't want to confine the possibilities of the biennale to visual art alone. Hence events were organized to showcase traditional cultural forms, and a literary gathering, Annual

Rings. Above all, we consider the Kochi-Muziris Biennale to be a vehicle of hope. In spite of all the controversies, what kept us going was the hope and belief that the Foundation was building something relevant in the Indian context, and that the public will have the courage to reach for it. It is this hope that, in the end, prevailed. Here, at this junction of

achievement we would like to thank everyone who supported

The sheer variety of art work on view itself left a deep impact on the cultural economy of Kerala that has been weighed down by conformity masquerading as radicalism. For the thousands of people who visited the art spaces, driven by urges that ranged from curiosity to genuine interest to know, learn and adopt, the world of art now appeared to be a real democracy and the artist a woman in permanent opposition to homogenizing tendencies of globalization. Art,

the project especially the Kochi-Muziris Biennale team and their families who stood resolutely with us. When we look back now from this shore of possibilities, still in the enigma of arrival, there is a sense of justified pride swelling in our chests. And, we know that we, as curators have inspired a movement.

they realized, was a practice that was inherently political

Sure, there were wounds and shattering moments. But, for people who live by the sea, temperament could be one of their many foibles but healing and forgiveness are their virtues.

and looked both inwards and outwards. It sought out the

discerning viewer to be a participant and nudged him to engage with the world with a free and open mind. Subversion, the viewer-participant found out, had a universal language, which was universal because it was diverse and refused to conform.

Because, salt heals.

Since the biennale has been conceived as a platform for

artist-to-artist dialogue and interaction, it was a rewarding time for all the participating artists, local art community,

students, public and critics. Our Let's Talk initiative is meant for healthy. productive dialogue and sharing. We believe a biennale can foster a community, which is serious, studious and curious about art and art-making of the highest order. Unlike an art exhibition, biennales are about a place and its It is true for the people of Kochi, especially those

people.

in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and the Muziris region. Though

it took a few weeks for the locals to understand what

biennale' meant, once the exhibition started, they lapped

it up. Forthevillagers in the Muziris region like Gothuruthu and

biennale has brought about a social change and lifted them from the depths of social oblivion and stigma. he biennale like many foreign terms is now part of the

Vypeen

Notes

Merriam-Webster dictionary. 1Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Malayalam lexicon.

While international and national media covered the biennale with prominence, local media celebrated the artists and

Kerala Charithrathinte Natuvazhikal by Dr. N M Namboothiri & P K Sivadas Published By

artworks. And when we decided to digitalise the entire exhibition, Google partnered with Kochi Biennale Foundation to archive the exhibition in its entirety

DC Books.

HAnnual Rings: Taken from N S Madhavan's novel Litanies Battery (Published in 2003 by DC Books in Malayalam as Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal and in 2010 by Penguin Books lIndia.

of Dutch

making it the first

131

Kochi-Muziris Biennale: Site Imaginaries -Geeta Kapur

tracking of suggested meanings; and so long as it sustains a layering of thought thereon. more

Preamble

complex

When I recall the bewitchment created by the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, I think of three creature-objects tethered to the

decaying structure of the Calvathy dockyard

and facing

the Arabian Sea in desolate majesty. In his installation titled Kochi Tower, the Portuguese artist Ricardo Gouveia, better

known as Rigo 23, mocks the 'Belem Tower' in Lisbon (built in the sixteenth century to commemorate colonial victories) and culls up an 'Armada of Echoes' from five hundred years

ago. A militant in the face of political oppression and using 'artivist' means of protest and subversion, Rigo drew on tales around Portuguese colonialism and resurrected the life of 'black' slaves traded to Kochi from Africa. Known as

kappiri', the slaves built monuments for the ruling powers; but when (after their defeat by the Dutch) the Portuguese fled, they were sacrificed: massacred or left to perish,

The first edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (henceforth, KMB 2012) was conceptualized around cosmopolitanism. The curators, Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu, were playing on the anachronistic aspect of cosmopolitanism: the histories of co-produced modernities (during colonialism), then retrospectively from the pre-modern to civilizational the Malabar coast exchange in antiquity. Peninsular India, what is now Kerala had trans-oceanic more specifically, and, commerce at multiple levels with Africa, Arabia and the Mediterranean region; and from the fifteenth century, with Europe. This cosmopolitanism was an early form of 'worlding' that was (hierarchically) exclusivist. What the curators of KMB 2012 did was to lever this 'infrastructural"' legacy and to hypothesize cosmopolitanism within the current discourse

of world citizenship. Given their positional perspective (from

guarding the buried treasures of their Portuguese masters. disused Rigo's suspended kappiri, canved out of logs from

Kerala/India), they understood well how fractured and fraught these categories (the world and citizenship) are; and that it is no one's agenda to achieve another coercive universalism. The Kerala experience tests 'difference' in terms of ethnicity, and religion; caste-and-class-based marginality and

Chinese fishing nets, is poised for flight into contemporary history, his gaze fixed on his African homeland. The second with a a black modified autorickshaw wrapped

sculpture,

language

mundu and fitted with a bird's beak and dog's ears, recounts native scribe. The a tale of Portuguese cruelty against a third sculpture recalls the setting ablaze of a pilgrim boat

minoritarianism; and, now, native and expatriate populations whereby cosmopolitanism comes to be based not on elite -

Rigo's elaborately woven bamboo boat is strung

émigrés but dispossessed migrants. When identities are petrified by neo-nationalist (religious rightwing) assetions and

with commemorative oil lamps. Over centuries, the kappiri

subsumed by the geopolitics of capitalism, cosmopolitanism

mixed bloodlines with the Malayalis, and sometimes became deities' worshipped at kappiri tharas. Rigo willed that his

is one way of

between Mecca and Kochi by Vasco da Gama and his men in 1502

kappiri

of

mythic proportions spread

his

arms

precipitating politics, class as multitudes

and ascend

Placing cosmopolitanism in the terrain of history, KMB 2012 substantiated, at the same time, the claims of materiality: labour by including sites of previous and present habitation,

to strengthen 'artivist' battles with contemporary forms of power. For my

part,

I have nurtured

a

the demand to read culture as

desire to swoop down

and join Rigo's dockyard ensemble. To dangle there face, beak and nozzle visible only to the seafaring boats and so to look out and away, bereft of civilizational lore, imbued with

fold. production, land, building and objects within its human survival, of conditions into translates Materiality a with that in mind, the curators invited artists to respond to poetics of the human imprint: on nature and history, ecology

and

creature-melancholy. Our Cosmopolitanisms

and world politics.

Why does one smile; why does it wrench the heart to think of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale? This is not, of course, a legitimizing criterion for an ambitious exhibition like a biennale. But, arguably, enchantment can still be a starting point in an aesthetic

Because imprint was 'visible' in different ways. both curators are practising artists, KMB 2012 foregroundea and ain artists production: thus, process, facture, praxis function to hands-on aesthetic. Many artworks seemed The human

the manner of 'indexical signs'; even works that were iconic blurred any kind of semiotic grid; al

and exhibitory venture - so long as the phenomenology, the

experiential deposit, is richly calibrated; so long as the itinerary (within a space and between venues) guides you to a semiotic

linguistic/symbolic

in Signs seemed to unfold, unravel, catapult

132

miscellaneous

ways and over an entropic field. By unconscious preference, curators and artists in KMB 2012 refused a triumphant or

rhetorical statement of 'belonging'.

and the

developing body of scientific (if still somewhat indeterminate) evidence that Muziris (or Muciri), the legendary port extolled in Greek, Latin and classical Indian perhaps located very nearby in Kodungallur or Pattanam. An extensive archaeological dig is underway

Much of this had to do with the curators' selection of artists

sources was

(with too few women artists, it must be said) and good placements which ed to an efflorescence of what I have

in Pattanam since

called Site Imaginaries. The curators built into the exhibition

map extraordinary spaces and buildings: the stately Durbar

Hall, capacious warehouses and trading stations with elegant woodwork, terracotta-tile (occasionally thatch) roofs, and overgrown courtyards exhuming aromas of pepper from a celebrated history of ocean trade. Handsome bungalows, an old Portuguese house and some 'ruins'. There was the coastline, with Kochi fishermen in a 'choreographed performance' with Chinese fishing nets; a series of functioning docks and abandoned piers lining the sea-path; anda graceful passage of freighters, passenger boats and liners to and from the harbour. All this allowed the staging of artworks in startlingly beautiful and

simple ways.

-

2007.5

The

hypothesis as of now is that period of South India

Muziris flourished in the early historic

(third century BCE to fifth century CE); it was an 'urban' sitel with hinterland, coastal and trans-oceanic commerce. Muziris seems to have peaked during the period of the Roman empire, and then perhaps declined. In 1341, a deluge-like flood in the long-streamed Periyar river buried Muziris and changed the geography of the region. Kochi then emerged as the major port for the region's spice trade. During its active period, Muziris traded with North African,

Arabian, Mesopotamian and Mediterranean lands. In view of the Pattanam excavations, there is a strong possibility that Pattanam could be (a part of) Muziris: of the wealth of local materials/objects excavated in Pattanam, a small but

am aware that this version of art and site must be

significant proportion is non-local, belonging to various regions of Asia, Africa and Europe. Thisincludes a very large

problematized. For now, let me just mention that locational

and good variety of potsherds including glazed earthenware

aptness is not just scenic magic. Artists made intelligent

and, very importantly, þarts of Roman amphora - arguably the

interpretations of the culture, economy and politics of

largest assemblage of Mediterranean pottery recovered from any archaeological site in the Indian Ocean. Other objects include glass beads, semi-precious stone beads and glass

the place: Kochi, Kerala, India. These entailed research as well as a pragmatic understanding of and institutional infrastructure. Artists' allegories with ground conditions such as India's skewed

historical locational reckoned

counters of a Roman board game played by seamen in

economy

antiquity. Several metals including gold have been found.

(wealth and poverty in tight embrace); the paradox of hi-tech

There is evidence of agricultural produce, prominently black pepper that linked Muziris to Berenike port in Egypt; and healing herbs exported to port-sites in present-day Yemen and Oman. It is confirmed that this part of the Malabar coast was widely acculturated and multireligious. There are speculations of very early Brahmin settlements, and full endorsement of a Buddhist presence. An early settlement of

claims and low-tech apparatus; and what all our cultural

initiatives must face, political and bureaucratic hurdles. In Kerala, this was accompanied by obdurate battles within the artist community and a highly charged ideological temper

including trade union contestations (workers' unions are a powerful presence here). While the fate of KMB 2012 was buffeted about in state conclaves, in artists' cabals and on the small stage of Fort Kochi, it was cosmopolitan 'collectivity

Syrian Christians is linked with a claim (somewhat unlikely) that Christ's apostle, St. Thomas, arrived here. There was a prominent Jewish settlement and an early presence of lslam.

that seemed to survive the financial and installation traumas. The virtue of patience was put to the test so that the site and its constraints, as much as its lure, prompted artists to

The twinning of Kochi with Muziris, and the conquest and colonization of this region by the Portuguese, Dutch and English in relatively recent history reveal the scope and

develop the lean aesthetic of archaeology and the ontology of the found object.

scale of the Orient'!

Even as we (re-)Jorient ourselves

Remember Havana! International artists often themselves carried their work and tool-kits to the Havana Biennale, in not to embarrass the economy of Cuba or overstress order the institutional support for third-world radicalism.

to what were at one time 'global' civilizations, we gain an etymological bonus and irresistible pun: an orientalist) cosmopolitanism that includes this region's early access to

Histories of Cosmopolitanism

by the Europeans, rather than the magnificence of antiquity, that is more uncanny: it is the colonial 'ruin' and the palpable morphology of a mixed culture that suggest the more

modernity. Paradoxically, it is the wel-archived occupation

In a confessional interlude, let me admit that there is a

promiscuous profit of romance associated with ancient port-

phantasmal conditions of the homely and the unhomeh. And

cities: Venice, the site of the first ever biennale, is a prime

apropos that, it may in fact be literature that best renders the 'unconscious' (buried histories of knowledge and trade,

example. there is a

Here, in the marvellous twinning of Kochi-Muziris, residue of the myth and romance of archaeology,

habitat and ecology) into fabulously subjectivized narratives.

133

erotic in a way that referenced (perhaps) the 'aesthetic' of

Biennale Allegories

'anthropofagia',

Alfredo Jaar's 2013 installation for the Chilean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, titled Venezia

presented, with after-image of the

Venezia,

technology, perfect architectural model of in a installed the Giardini was very large water-filled 'tank, time-frame of stationed on a bridge within the pavilion. In a from the dark seconds, the model emerged and disappeared of the phenomenon matched The water. metaphor pool of the of High Waters in Venice, and the projected submergence the also matched city in the distant future. But the metaphor the world of art. hubris assumed by the Venice Biennale in was focused as culture Jaar's critique of western hegemonic

considerable scale and

an

Biennale's famous Giardini. A

much

on

as on

its

Biennale, the continued supremacy of the Venice

offered ground-plan of national pavilions.0 If Jaar mother-of-all-biennales, my this a magical disappearance of model survive the let original the to is contrary: response There are up to a as an anachronism and with due aplomb.

hundred biennales and triennales across the world; a large number in the

(former) third

world and

a

good proportion and

in Asia. It is better, perhaps, to 'provincialize' Europe alternative not in vengeance or caprice, but by setting up paradigms wherein our understanding of cosmopolitanism, -

internationalism and globalization is recurrently complicated. biennale in the world: behold the entry of the newest Alfredo Jaar made Biennale. the fledgling Kochi-Muziris a stanza from 2012: KMB selecting for up another allegory mid-fourth love poem by Kalidasa (circa the epic Meghaduta, text a cloud-shaped offered to early fifth century CE), he to be read as a mirrorwith LED

So,

work ('moon-lit' lights), in a room in Aspinwall image in a dark water-tank recessed called was Cloud for Kochi. House. The text-installation of the

selection I now unfold an itinerary with a very small international and Indian artists.2 This two-part approach offer misjudged priorities or from any need to a desire to understand from but rather, a separatist discourse, affects whether there are ideological motifs and aesthetic on based one from that distinguish 'nomadic' site-specificity cultural 'belonging'. comes

not from

Fascinated by the bizarre coincidence that connects Brazil and India- the journey undertaken in 1500 by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Alvares Cabrall3) Brazilian artist Ernesto

Neto came to Kochi to translate (as it were) colonial greed into material essence, and staged a sculptural installation

with spice and textile. With blue cotton fabric bought in Ernakulam, he offered a metaphor for skin and behold!

the gods Krishna and Shiva offer the extraordinary state of appearing blue. High heat in the attic of Moidu's Heritage

Plaza made the sculptural installation (Life Is a River) sweat its spice-soul, Neto said, and we, our water-soul! Body and soul; lung, udder and phallus the sensorial sculpture was

a

unique

turn

in Brazilian culture that

converted the 'crime' of cannibalism into a 'primitivist' form of

creativity challenging

the supremacy of

European modernism

in art and discourse.

Consider, in contrast, the classic Arte Povera installation by Jannis Kounellis on the first floor of one of the oldest existing Fort Kochi, where he asked to place Portuguese houses in with sticks of cinnamon in a pile chairs three rings of wooden secular-sacred 'mandala' monk's a each ring: at the centre of more playful spirit, Dylan Martorell if similar a In meditation. for abandoned quarters in Aspinwall occupied the caretaker's sounds from the fecund compound, and 'collected' House, touch-based instruments from a made Soundtracks-Kochi: and a spice-speaker sound series of suspended objects; tonal frequencies to generate clouds of used which system and cinnamon. mixed spice fenugreek, turmeric, ginger

went up another wooden Back to Moidu's Heritage: you of a room with huge rafters radiance dimmed the into staircase and watch a four-screen floor the on and sloping tile-roof to sit Mesiti. One by one, the Angelica videowork, Citizens' Band, by an eccentrically intoned musicians performed four solitary in diverse societies harmonics of sound. Unmoored migrants they confirmed in citizenry, and bare figures of a cosmopolitan our own premonitions of immortality.

profound humility

Switch gears and take three artists with ancestry in the West ritual Asian region; see them develop geography and history, and and fiction, to fulfil their desired relationship with Kochi, Beneath Histories Lay India. Amanullah (Aman) Mojadidi's What in Our Feet? 'excavated' as though his own Afghani origins Land about asked questions and political a simulated 'dig', rhetoric; and Territory. The actual installation was devoid of a stepped earthbuilding fictional histories, he left behind bare means of with hut pit, a sparse hermit-archaeologist's survival and an 'original diary with drawings a precious of unfinished enquiry. Joseph Semah (of Baghdadiexile by origins) declaimed on the condition of 72 privileges were allegorizing a peculiar historical 'truth': communities by the last granted to the Jewish and Christian ruled from Muziris, (Hindu) king of the Chera dynasty who first-floor room at and Semah installed (in a long, luminous inserted with /2 Aspinwall House) a 22-metre-long table the plates, 5,000 in copperplates; and through the holes Ihe the floor. on metres of white thread woven and spread the ciy star-constellations above 12 holes correspond to the of the ou circumference the of Jerusalem; 5,000 metres is served as a visual gu city of Jerusalem; the 72 drawings From Kochi to Jerusale to the history of the 72 privileges. (Desert work Adam consider the allegory in the Mecca: Ahmed Mal to Arabian artist of Pharan Series) by Saudi who were a Eve and Adam Recalling the "love story' of

object

Jewish

34

Jeddah respectively (and came together at down in India and near Mecca), the artist's photo-video imagery Arafat Mount love to the great pilgrimage. The connects the allegory of Moidu's Heritage 'contains' as if the sea vast bare hall in human beings performing the rituals of the of white-clad millions surge forward to reach Ka'ba, the artist the As Haj. state of ardour and faith now linked to zooms in to reveal the conditions: political Islamophobia on the one hand, fraught infrastructural adjustments by the host the other, on and country for a pilgrimage involving a globalized populace.

is installed at

grassroot-level in the Samadrusti Campus, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, and is always open to the public.

The

plenitude and destruction

Forest carry

over

in Amar Kanwar's The in Ranbir Kaleka's three-screen video,

Sovereign

House of Opaque Water. Behold the great estuarine forests and vast mud-flats of the Gangetic delta in the Sundarbans (West Bengal and Bangladesh). Here, in the depleting mangroves, lives drown and emerge: 'This is my home', a man says, and he is in a boat surrounded by water. His

companion says, 'This is the school and the path that leads

by the pugnacious Ai Weiwei in two documentary videos: So Sorry and Lao Ma Ti Hua (Disturbing The Peace). The first film refers to the sentence

to our friend's house', and there is just swirling water around the boat. The artist makes an imperceptible switch to Tehri in India's northern hills where a dam's ters submerged

repeated by the Chinese state after the deaths of thousands

Tehri town and forty villages, and where the rehabilitation

of students in the great Sichuan earthquake of 2008. Corruption scandals involving the state's construction projects

the villagers to reconstruct miniature clay-sculptures of their

Contemporary politics

were

acted out

erupted at that time: in 2009, a civil rights advocate investigating the tragedy was charged with inciting subversion of state power; Ai Weiwei, a witness in the trial, was beaten up by the

Chinese police, suffered brain haemorrhage and emergency surgery. With ironical confidence, the Indian curators placed Ai Weiwei's 'combat' videos, his struggles with the Chinese state/police, in the confines of two musty rooms of a surviving Portuguese house. In conjunction and contrast there was the work of Spanish artist-provocateur Santiago Sierra: his

spectacular video, Destroyed Word, records the construction of ten giant letters across ten nations, each built from a product relevant to that country. Then the letters speling KAPITALISM are elaborately annihilated, and the process recorded on ten films that together denote the demise of the global economy. Sierra's symbolic destruction of The Wod' took place, appropriately, in the defunct grandeur of a tropical, colonial trading station and warehouse: Aspinwall House. From among the narratives developed by Indian artists, I start with two allegorical-elegiac works that resonated with the site imaginaries of KMB 2012. Amar Kanwar's widely shown political allegory, The Sovereign Forest (an installation including films, books, an archive of rice samples and roster of events) is premised on the validity of poetry as evidence; of 'seeing' and witnessing in compassion; and of the ethical

process separated families and communities. The artist wants homes. These will be illumined from within, and on a dark night, in a rite of reclamation, their villages will rise from the waters. This is not visual anthropology., the artist says; he wants to explore the poetics of shelter and home, of lived experience as a topography of our intimate being. There was an extraordinary form of retrieval in Sheela Gowda

and Christoph Storz's installation, Stopover, on the private pier of Aspinwall House. Typical of Gowda's prescient aesthetic, the room chosen led on to the ocean-path of constant navigation: the horizon-line of the (170) installed stones and that of the ocean met to produce spatial epiphany. Referring upfront to a minimalist aesthetic, these 200-kg stone blocks however have a narrative. These are grinding stones, each with a differently shaped hollow shaped by female hands and domestic drudgery. As objects they acquire 'sacred' presence from usevalue relating to food and, perhaps, because pestle and cavity

resemble a lingam-yoni fusion. Once embedded into kitchen floors, the stones are now abandoned left at streetcorners in her home-city of Bangalore where old houses and living conditions have given way to the new. To come upon a stopover cemetery of these grinding stones in the legendary spice-port is serendipity! Valsan Koorma Kolleri worked at Aspinwall House for weeks collecting fibre, bark, shell and stem of the coconut; dried

relay between justice, self-determination and democratic sOvereignty. The central film, The Scene of Crime, offers the

earth, colour pigments, feathers, terra-sand, coal, copper wire and local air - he placed these tufts, bundles, found and

Viewer a paradise that is a battleground in Orissa: territory marked for acquisition by the nexus of (the Orissa) government

and corporate a video-book

industry. (image

A

key

made objects, sometimes clay-limbs, on the stone shelves of what had been a 'secure' room for 'company' documents. His storage could be a humbler version what might have been traded from Muziris and Kochi: a botanical assemblage including black pepper, cardamom, wheat, charred rice,

spread across handmade book; text

narrative is

projection;

and photos) on the legendary Shankar Guha Niyogi who Sustained the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha, the mine workerss movement, from 1977 till his murder in 1991. In Aspinwall

charcoal, frankincense, bread, fruit, seed, Indian gooseberry

House, The Sovereign Forest was installed by renovating a derelict verandah into a paved, tile-roofed, environmentally elegant, shed-like gallery; one version of The Sovereign Forest

mango seeds, grape pips, cOconut fronds, teak and anjili, coconut shells and bamboo pieces. As the artist filled the space, you clambered around to see this rich resource of

35

ephemera-about which he intoned, saint-like, that no

and

material dies forever, it changes form. And if you can feel this life, you can have millions of lives during one lifetime.

a

archipelagos with meteoric patina emerged. There was convulsion of time, hístory and human destiny. You could return to the 'original' site (to the subtle hues of terracotta rubble in myriad patterns) and calm the heart.

In contrast to ecological annotations, so recurrent in the Clearly, the poetics of excavation was crucial to artists

ethos of KMB 2012, the handsome architecture at Fort Kochi, a combined heritage of native and colonial imagination, gave artists another crucial prompt to instal. Making a bold architectural intervention, L.N. Tallur ordered a re-fabrication

understanding of spatial phenomenology and material aesthetic at Kochi. Sanguine earth sliced to reveal layers

two raised wings of a mammoth bird just beneath the old

of sedimentation, and in the layering (many metres deep) everyday objects trapped like creature-fossils and precious metals. Pattanam is vibrating with mute objects, Dr. PJ.Cherian said in a talk. Cultural deposits for the archaeologists, liminal

tile-roof of Aspinwall House.

forms for the artists -

of Mangalore terracotta tiles, placing this fresh roofing as

and the compelling process of sorting,

archiving, annotating captive materials that leads from research

Pepper House, a perfectly proportioned (Dutch-style) building

to abstract thought and imagination.

with a large courtyard, housed artworks on two floors. Anita

Dube climbed up another storey and set ladders to reach

International Biennale Discourse

a sound-space where she promised transformations of rationality into dreams and utopias and their consequent tragedies. On the floor below was a large room with windows looking out to the sea, and positioned there, a small blue perfectly fused sculpture of a man-and-boat by the legendary Kerala artist, K.P. Krishnakumar, who took his life in 1989 while pursuing these very utopias. Indeed the two artist-

from the aesthetics and ideology of site-specificity, to the spectacularization of contemporary art and its financial stakes, to the deterministic discourse to which biennales now lend themselves. I briefly signal these issues.

Several issues are to be addressed on the biennale phenomenon:

Miwon Kwon, in her much-cited title and argument: One Place

curators from Kerala, Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu, found an opportunity to pay homage to the 1980s' Kerala Radicals among them K.P. Krishnakumar, Alex Mathew, K. Prabhakaran, Jyothi Basu, Reghunadhan and Anita Dubeyouthful left-anarchists who failed to change the game rules of art but annotated, nonetheless, the discourse of art for the

After Another, 1) proposes three paradigms of site-specificity:

phenomenological or experiential; social/institutional; and discursive'; and, in conjunction or addition to these, the

importance of a 'new genre public art' and community-based art practices. Such designation also marks the transition of

the exhibition process from a sedentary to a nomadic model, to which she brings a speculative ring by speaking about

next generations.15

'subject/object and location' in terms of 'belonging-in-

It seems appropriate to conclude with artists releasing metaphoric relays of excavation and retrieval: Amanullah Mojadidi's austere excavation, as well as Sudarshan Shetty's dug-out for elaborately canved monuments titled Know and Subodh Gupta's Cabral End in the Yard; Nothing of

transience', and the 'critical capacity of intimacies based on

absence, distance, and ruptures of time and place. The biennale phenomenon has multiplied versions of sitespecificity; closer home, the mere description of some of the works within KMB 2012 brings these aspects to the fore Contemporary artists undertake itinerant forms of research and production, along with the widest range of cultural and political engagements ever witnessed.7 What is enhanced,

traditionally crafted, 65-foot-long boat illed with belongings of 'departed' migrants angled up to go through the high

ceiling/roof of Aspinwall House. Gupta's gigantic boat abutted the edges of Vivan Sundaram's delicate flat-bed cityscape of terracotta fragments at Aspinwall House.

alongside, is a locational aesthetic where art can be 'staged

and cities (often the trigger for new biennale experiments) Sundaram Ilodged his project at the very core of the KochiMuziris paradigm. Borrowing almost a hundred thousand discarded potsherds from the archaeological site of Pattanam,

have regenerated famous and unexpected spaces for exhibiting is a There are several aspects to this. This reinscription of form a form of cultural hermeneutics; it can also be seen as to pertorm. occupation' that cultural institutions are privileged tourism cultural projects, inducted to serve More

art.

he built up a calligraphic floor-relief of the lost city. The

perspectival expanse measured 40 x 15 feet (x 1 foot high); the structural units were as small as the actual potsherds; the clustered artifice was labour-intensive; the miniaturization condensed history into a playground of infancy. The artist flooded this exquisitely compressed, lightly stretched installation with muddy water, then millions of pepper-corns, and filmed the terrain and the deluge. The cameras tracked, panned and swung; the three-projector video installation

critically,

or

be said to preclude more political site-specrnc communitarian praxis."9 Nevertheless, I endorse

and commerce, art

for

can

enriching phenomenological

orientations,

and

tne

biennale (and other space-exploring projects) as an exhibitor cosmopolitanism. genre appropriate for differentiated forms of Thus, while these multiplying biennales, among them KMB sometimes seem like reckless initiatives, they should d

produced a seismic rhythm. The earthplate seemed to shift

36

ironies,

for their more over the

scrutinized

Glossing ISSue strategiC invoke, the on discourse radicalize the

revising

their follies

tacile scepticism is whether

of the very our understanding art towards a

contemporary Dushing critical terrain;

they

contemporary

worth.

[T]he concern most proper to... contemborary art is the

biennales

growing, alarming and inescapable disjunction-experienced

and their

that

new

can

art:

by

be

seen

by all of us living in the conditions of contemporaneity between the small-scale, specific yet fragile facts of our everyday lives and the accelerating indeed, the often deadly incommensurability, of

to

constantly

"institution of art'; by

incomprehensibility

investigative, developing a

more

competing global world-pictures.' And the demanding question is, are curators able to 'assemble works by artists able to display at least aspects of the extremely complex architecture of this dislocation, and by those artists able to point us toward the recovery, or discovery, of concrete kinds of locality, timeliness, identity and selfhood?' Terry Smith.2 And Back to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale

by I that is, ideally speaking, heterotopic. would phenomenology into a larger polemical field, insert these questions but

equally

more

ike

to

for its examine not Just this or that biennale asking that we of excellence, but the entire relay of immediate certificate and discourse in contemporary art from various site, production vantage-points on the globe.20) is continually co-produced cultures, If contemporaneity address of an artwork is coextensive with of form the if we have to make sure that actual the site of production, and living communities are not seen simply as across

Have

that any form of seduction lowers the bar for more prized conceptual potential of art. If Kochi palimpsest of residues and led artists to replenish present continuum, it also showed how erased prompt artists to annotate cultural phenomena.

societies

contemporary international art. geopolitical The deterritorialization of peoples/cultures through mass migrations, the miracles of electronic communication and contexts

relied too much on poetics in my exposition of the

Kochi-Muziris Biennale? Consider the contemporary adage

for

social media, bring into full play the (ironically transcendent)

the now offered a

the past histories Because

artists are always situated, but also always liminal to the established order of things, they are peculiarly placedto question hegemonic tendencies in all cultural formations.

nomenclature: transnational transculturalism. My own preference is to ask how art situates itself in place, region, nation, state, and the politics of all these substantive categories of history (proper); to thus work our way across to the raw edges of the political in India and other postcolonial (now putatively transnational) public spheres; to thus reach from within a specific historical trajectory towards a cultural/ aesthetic vantage-point. If we celebrate ancient and modern

The structural relationship of the imaginary and the symbolic may now be weighted in favour of an interrogative mode, but the unexpected subversions nutured in the imaginary are fully at play if we mean by critical contemporaneity something distinct from plain discourse or polemics.

cOsmopolitanism immanent in, say, peninsular India - here

In conclusion, I would like to foreground certain propositions about KMB, and some correctives. The stakes in the biennale project must, in our context, meet creative and pragmatic Though never beyond serving vested interests, I have always argued that a biennale has special efficacy in countries with underdeveloped museum practice around modern and contemporary art; and where opportunities for people to engage with international art (beyond the art fair circus) are scarce. The biennale project is at the same time a means of creating, through a form of provisional

Kochi/Kerala-we must loop in specific histories (not least the recent history of state communism) that pose imponderables of identity and address, and require interlocutors to move back and forth between a speculative transculturalism and declared partisanship.

criteria.

Precisely at this point I also want to introduce caution

against euphoric extensions of the biennale discourse. There is a tendency now to compress the real world into a microcosmic universe of exhibitory positions where curators plot geopolitical upheavals and artists claim world-changing

institutionalization, professional conduits of communication in the cities and countries where they occur: erecting

gestures. In dystopic times, there is a compulsion too attribute utopian aspirations to all that our

bridges between the state and private finance, between public spaces and elite enclaves, between artists and other practitioners-and with lay audiences, via young cadres in the cultural community. A new paradigm for cultural activism involves a gruelling pedagogy about how art intervenes to support democratic structures of governance, institutions for a functioning civil society, state bureaucracy and the public sphere.23 | believe that a dedicated set of cultural activists (an apt desig ation for the directors/curators and their colleagues in the Kochi Biennale Foundation) are making an attempt to insert contemporary art into valid forms of praxis.

metaphors ignite imagination, including at present the sweeping command o the biennale discourse.21 For although aesthetics is indeed where utopias germinate, the exhibitory apparatus is not the only ground where art's political promise is realized. Precisely because of a strong and useful discourse aroundd Diennales, the apparatus should not be encouraged to Swallow up questions of history, contemporaneity and he potential praxis of avantgarde art; or, on the other hand, to artists who work from with marginal positions fragile, mean and small

Overwhelm

gestures

137

turbulence among the esoteric miniaturists

The aesthetics-politics embrace is paradigmatic; it has, as

in the ateliers of Istanbul. In the spirit of aesthetic enterprise, a Venetlan poet-mayor 'gifts' a commemorative

well, a distributive, democratic, radical and eth cal potential. The big question for KMB and all of us is: how does a cultural vanguard in its more anarchist gestures come to be positioned within or without the paradigm of the state?

5. In utmost abbreviation I refer to the Muziris Project, and in particular to the

While conceptual rigour and quality of artworks remains a

hypotheses and evidence put forth on several occasions by Dr.P.J.Cherian,

prime priority, we also need a bestowal of faith, a period of nurturing, a struggle to develop the publics of art: these are some criteria that KMB is committed to. Indeed, public viewing at KMB 2012 was such as to astound artists and

Director, Pattanam Excavations, The Kerala Council for Historical Research

art exhibition to the Venetian royalty the Venice Biennale, recuring since 1895, becomes the mother of all international art exhibitions.

(KCHR). While these archaeological findings have been further investigated and, in some cases, endorsed by archaeologists in specialist institutions the world over, there is still vexed debate even on whether Muziris was

elites from India and abroad. Kochi and the KMB put to test

present-day Pattanam or Kodungallur. Professor Romila Thapar, in her

the famous educational quotient in Kerala society: you saw

diverse references to peninsular India, its civilizational history and cross-

thousands of viewers reading every wall-text with perfect diligence, as if matching one form of literacy to another t o a visual aesthetic that they found self-revealing or hermetic,

ocean trade, underscores the importance of the Malabar coast and the

but evidently also engaging. And here is a surprise effect:

collapse of Muziris.

reality' of Muziris; however, she retains questions on archaeological procedures and determining evidence abOut the exact site, chronology and

while curators weretrying to initiate a cross-biennale exchange

6. According to Dr. P.J. Cherian: houses with brick walls, clay platforms,

between Kochi and Shajah, something remarkable happened

multiple floors, ring wells, roof tiles, whar, terracotta toilets, storage with

at the ground level. Historically connected through trade and

contemporaneously connected through the labour market, population surviving on a remittance economy developed

a

residential or warehouse characteristics attributable to a port-site. 7. Ranjit Hoskoté and llija Trojanow, Confluences: Forgotten Histories from East

a

and West (New Delhi: Yoda Press, 2012).

cultural profile: KMB 2012 aroused such curiosity in Kochi/ Kerala that thousands of expatriate Malayalis visited the 2013

8. Amitav Ghosh's In an Antique Land: Histony in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale (New

viewership might already put the

York: Vintage Books, 1994) is a complex narrative set between India

Sharjah

Biennale and swelled the otherwise small

and Egypt. One strand follows Abraham Ben Yiju, a Tunisian Jewish

in the Emirates! This participative surge Kochi-Muziris Biennale at par with other, newer biennales public round the world.P41 That is and even the

merchant based in Cairo, then Aden, who spent two decades on India's Malabar coast and hired a slave named Bomma who conducted his

museum-going indeed an extraordinary achievement.

business with Arab lands. Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh (New York:

Vintage Books, 1997) tells the fictional tale of Moraes Zogoiby,

'the

from Moor', descended from the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama; Jews Black in and Muslim the last Spain; king Boabdil (c. 1460-1527),

Geeta Kapur is an art theorist and curator.

who immigrated to Cochin. Rushdie's fabulous famous spice markets of Kochi.

traverse

evokes

the

Alta/High Waters', in Alfredo Jaar: Venezia Venezia, ed Adriana Valdés, exhibition catalogue (Barcelona: Actar, 2013) by Several viewpoints on Venice and the Venice Biennale are presented the editor and authors in this publication.

9. See Geeta Kapur, 'Acqua

Notes: 10.

1. Full name: Calvathy Canal Boat Dock. 2. See the curators' note in the present volume. Foundation renovated 3. As its first architectural project, the Kochi Biennale and international national Ernakulam for regular the historic Durbar Hall in

there are over 200 only 30 pavilions in the Giardini, when back-stories of privileged nations represented in the Biennale; the countries confirm inequity. India a c c e s s and outsider status of different

There are

India's Ambassador presence in the Venice Biennale. In 1954, 60 Venice (with 32 artists and to Italy managed to represent' India at India of nomenclature the works); a few indifferent shows have 'stolen' Indian artists mounted exhibition of a in privately 2005, good, pavilion; of Culture featured in the collateral calendar. In 2011, the Depatment has no

exhibitions of art. Its great achievement was to salvage Aspinwall House, from realtors' Pepper House, Moidu's Heritage Plaza, if only temporarily, dockside and Cabral like offer Calvathy hands. And to obtain and spaces Yard to artists.

Within a curated show and Delhi's National Academy of Art supported stare reasons or Financial 2013. the Arsenale. This c a m e to naught in the in and must be put apathy: this is an index of India's priorities, Biennale. at the Venice balance when discussing national pavilions

4. Venice is both the aesthetic imaginary and symbolic node of old Europe. on moon-tide, rotten scents, masked erotica; the skies are swept by tempest hues. In the thirteenth century Marco Polo,

The lagoon-city drifts

Venetian merchant, travels to the east along the great silk route; his

as

exile in LED lights glowed 11. Robert Montgomery's elegiac poem about House. of Aspinwall facade you sailed past the sea-facing sites, 1 11 street artists, 12. KMB 2012 included 23 countries, 89 artists, event space. and exhibition 60 spaces, and 300,000 sq. ft. of

quasi-mythic travelogue unravels a dazzling geography, a cartographic enriched a perennial desire for the orient. Facing the east and Venetian a profile. Venice resplendent civilizational acquires exchange, by Gothic (blending European, Moorish, Byzantine, Ottoman and later Islamic

universe,

styles

of architecture) invites intense

regard.

Venetian painting produces

138

Artists and India: Creative inspirations in art and design, ed Shanay Jhaveri

Brazil in 1500 and, in a continuous expedition 13. Cabral 'discovered' reached India's Malabar coast including undertaken by royal command, misfortunes and brutal violence, he succeeded in Kochi. Despite oceanic of precious spices to Portugal. Vasco da Gama, taking back shiploads navigator-colonizer from Cabral's contemporary, remains the conquering he is buried in Kochi.

(Mumbai: The Shoestring Publisher, 2013). For a consolidated view on the ambitions of the hypothesized (and abandoned) Delhi Biennale, see Geeta Kapur, 'Curating across agonistic worlds', in InFlux.

24. KMB's slogan, 'Against All Odds', turned into a manifesto. Detractors

Portugal;

accusations and endless travails suffered by the Kochi Biennale

was published in 1928 by the 14. Manifesto Antropófago (Cannibal Manifesto) translated into English in Brazilian poet, Oswald de Andrade. (t was

Foundation make instructive 'history'. I follow my own ideological and aesthetic partisanship to the cause, and connect with others such as the cultural theorist Sarat Maharaj, who spoke at the KMB 2012 conference,

the 1990s.)

and Chris Dercon, Director, Tate Modern, who admired KMB and its

Anita 15. Indian Radical Painters and Sculptors Association (active 1987-89); Dube, Questions and Dialogue, exhibition catalogue, Baroda, 1987.

astounding publics. His remark suits my own argument: "'t [KMB] has brought about a paradigm in self-representation and governance.' As for

16. For a developed discussion of the larger questions around site-specificity,

plain statistics, KMB 2012 included: 23 countries; 89 artists; 11 street

see Miwon Kwon, One Place Afer Another: Site-Specific Art and Locationalldentib

artists; 73 per cent new commissions; 14 sites; 60 spaces; 300,000 sq.

(Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 2002).

ft. of exhibition and event space; 25 collateral events; 29 talks by local, national and international speakers, and several symposia; attendance/

17. A substantial discussion of the activities of (Delhi-based) Khoj International Artists' Association is required to evaluate project-based art practice in

participation of 30,000 schoolchildren; active presence on the social

all the areas mentioned above. See www.khojworkshop.org and the book,

media; and 382,659 visitors in the three-month run.

Khoj (New Delhi: Harper Collins, 2010), which includes several essays including mine, titled 'A phenomenology of encounters at Khoj"'. 18. The Arsenale complex in Venice offers the archetypal example: the largest pre-industrial production centre of the world, the Arsenale's shipyards symbolized the economic power of Venice (especialy c. thirteenth to fifteenth centuries). The Corderie area (that produced naval ropes) was used for the 1st International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. Curator-

wizard Harald Szeemann, Director ofthe Venice Biennale, 1999 and 2001 had the Arsenale complex renovated for the Biennale's Aperto section, which exhibited younger, more diversely international atists. 19. Jacques Ranciere, 'An Unsinkable Island?' in Alfredo Jaar: Venezia Venezia. 20. See my Introduction, and essay titled, 'Curating across agonistic worlds', in InFlur: contemporary art in Asia, eds Parul Dave Mukherji, Kavita Singh, Naman Ahuja (Delhi: Sage Press, 2013). Several other authors in the olume deal with the biennale proposition via case studies and evaluate t critically as a privileged paradigm for contemporary art. 21.A recent compendium of positions is collated in The Biennale Reader, eds Elena Filipovic, Marieke Van Hal, Solveig Ovstebo (Bergen and Ostifldern: Bergen Kunsthalle and Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2010). 22. Terry Smith, "Our" Contemporaneity?' in Contemporary Art: 1989 to the present, eds Alexander Dumbadze and Suzanne Hudson (Chichester, West Sussex

Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). 23. It is useful to cross-reference an earlier avatar of the KMB. Triennale India, a state project, launched in Delhi in 1968, posed a brave challenge in the context of a new internationalism foregrounded by the third world. The story of its failure after 1978 cannot be abbreviated here, but it was the artist community's inability to make precisely such interventions within the state apparatus and the public sphere, as I mention above. The plans for a Delhi Biennale were conceived (by a group of artists, curators, academics and architects) and tested with internationally active counterparts via several symposia during 2005-07. Paradoxically, a hairsplitting discourse around the biennale phenomenon spelt its premature end. For a discussion on Triennale India, see Vrishchik (1970-72 issues of the little

magazine, published between 1969-73), eds Gulammohammed Sheikh

and Bhupen Khakhar, Vadodara. See Geeta Kapur, 'Partisan Modernity', in Mulk Raj Anand: Shaping the Indian Modern, ed Annapurna Garimella (Mumbai:

Publications, Vol. 56, No. 4, 2005); and Nancy Adajania, 'Globalism Marg before Globalization: The ambivalent fate of Triennale India', in Western

139

Globalisation and The Human Imagination -Dr. Shashi Tharoor

The

name

of this event is itself

a

leap

of imagination

across

centuries of history and culture. The present-day vibrancy of Kochi linked with the mythical glories of the ancient port

the human condition. What has changed in our lifetimes is the speed and scale at which it spreads around the world opportunities and shockwaves in equal measure.

creating

of Muziris, both centres of commerce, of a cosmopolitan based on the exchange of world-view that is not

When the organisers invited me to discuss the topic,

merely

goods and

thought about the issues that have dominated many of my Nations. I thought about nearly three decades at the United the forces of globalisation irresistibly transforming the world, and the information technology revolution that brings to our

services but above all else of ideas.

Globalisation today has become a pejorative term in many that the part of the world. The triumphalism and hope the collapse of idea of globalisation evoked in the wake of 9/11 and of aftermath in the Communism have given way of this distrust fear and of sense a to the global recession idea. The rich parts of our world fear the loss of their pre-

breakfast tables and our living rooms, and increasingly our of information computers and our mobile phones, snippets and glimpses of events from every corner of the globe. These are forces of convergence, that have made the world one village, one market, one audience.

eminence in this globalised world while the developing countries fear the dawn of another age of economic and that cultural domination. One could be forgiven for thinking currencies traded most widely fear and insecurity are the in the global market place today. This in my view is a very of globalisation. It accords primacy to

narrow

And I thought about the changes that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in New York, and what we call 26/11 in Mumbai, and the in our imaginations; response to them, have wrought in us, and the rise in violent manifestations of intolerance, and of course the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and elsewhere. These are the forces of disruption, that threaten to create new divisions between haves and have-nots, between North and

understanding

everything else and ignores the of globalisation in other areas history distinguished long arts of human endeavour, most prominently in the field of trade and economics above and

(or perhaps between the West and the rest), between different forms of Islam, and between people of different creeds

South

and the human imagination.

and cultures and religions.

and Consider the possibility that as humanity emerged facts central the form, evolved into its present recognisable became the of the human condition, birth, life and death, This was true across common canvas for the imagination. communities and cultures even as they grew sometimes

us These two groups of phenomena are clearly pulling the has wonder: I together as they drive us apart. And so that has become a central facet of our lives-as chips

change more get faster and the Internet gets broader-done something "where Microsoft's question, than allow us to ask ourselves

in complete physical isolation from one another. Whether it is theIliad or the Odyssey, or the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, whether it is the creation myths of the Bible and the Holy Quran, or those narrated in the legends of the Vikings and the Egyptians, we see at least as much in

common as

is different

and

unique.

do I want to go today?" Has it also forced another question

The common

strands that run through the earliest stirrings of the human

imagination

are not without

significance.

overtones

global imaginations-one with more fearful else is that we might call a macro-hard question-"who McDonald's has brought coming?" Has globalisation, which to every and Microsoft, and Mickey Mouse and Gameboys into our

Hussein home, also thrust Osama and Obama, Saddam human the Has mind? and Basher Al Assad, into every The fear? of terms in imagination become globalised mainly of the creative and artistic impulse must fight this colonisation

Since the dawn

of civilisation, globalisation, as a universal response to the fundamental challenges of human existence, has been with us. The ancient mind understood it well and therefore, travel, exile, loss and belonging have been common themes engaging our imagination since the dawn of recorded human history. The world of trade and commerce are new to the process of globalisation. Human imagination got there first. Seen this way, globalisation has been an essential part of

the Biennale are

global consciousness by fear. Events such as an important effort in our fight against this attempt.

of

140

reek

stories being facetious, our major news the tragic stories globalisation. Take, for instance,

At the risk of

a

of the death of about the tenth anniversary few years ago globalisation, with do to What's that got Princess Diana. An English Princess this it at way: Look ask. well you may leaves a French hotel with her Egyptian with a Welsh title driven supplanted a Pakistani; she is has companion, who chauffeur a Belgian a Dutch engine by in a German car with are chased by Italian paparazzi full of Scottish whisky; they

on Japanese motorcycles a rescue is attempted by into a Swiss-built tunnel and crash; and the story American doctor using Brazilian medicines; an Indian Member of Kochi in to told by you is now being

an

Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram. There's globalization.

mass

to be in St.

communications was

dispelled when

Petersburg, Russia, for

conference

a happened in his and was approached by a Tibetan Buddhist monk who his and mantras, a chanting cymbal robes, thumping seen you on BBC!" New "T've to his in say: chanting paused

I

communications technology has shrunk the world, and in a real sense made it all one.

But on Sept 11,2001, in the United States a different challenge arose to the notion of a global imagination. If, as the historian

have been

seen as

helping

drive the world

September the terrorists death and destruction.

of world where too many people have little or no hope our globalizing world, who can be of benefits the reaping to be derided and surprised that they view it as something to ensure that work must together So we attacked? even to all people have access to-at a minimum-the opportunity and to have education, an receive to live beyond starvation, realistic hopes for a better future. In

a

our eliminating dire poverty will not, in itself, solve not were 9/11 of poor; problems in this age of terror. The pilots them indeed, their pilots' licenses could have guaranteed

Of

reach and Indeed, any doubt I might have had about the influence of global

might

moment

towards progress and prosperity, were the forces used by 11 in their macabre dance of on

course

comfortable middle-class lives. Those who support, applaud a sense of and orchestrate terrorism are not driven solely by of economic injustice. A sense of oppression, of exclusion,

marginalisation,

can

also

give

rise to extremism.

world also offers hope for a solution to of disenfranchisement and despair. That world that I described earlier-the one in which it is easier than ever before to see or hear strangers at our breakfast table-can

globalised

But

our

this

sense

become a world in which it is easier than ever before to see

Eric Hobsbawm has suggested, the 20th century really began

strangers

with the assassination in Sarajevo that sparked the First World War, it is fair to suggest that, in the impact it has already had

as

essentially

no

different from ourselves.

In today's world, finding hope in shared experience-in our

on the shape of our era, the 21st century began with the

common humanity-is not mere piety. Two ways of doing this

demolition of the World Trade Centre just over six years ago. suspect that on 9/11, the 21st century was born.

readily come to mind. First, we need to provide access to education and information to all people. And second, we need to ensure that the information that is conveyed is truly global-diverse, pluralistic and tolerant.

What do I mean by that? The destruction of the World Trade Center seemed to have strucka blow not only at the institutions

that undergirded them, the self-confidence of a social and political system that, without needing to think about it tobo much, believed it had found the answer to life's challenges

And, the substance is every bit as important as the means. The mass media that now rings our globalised world still principally reflects the interests of its producers. What passes for international culture is usually the culture of the

and could conquer them all.

economically developed world.

And of course the outrage of that September 11 brought the stark consciousness of physical vulnerability to the

Ask yourselves: who makes the cut to enter the global imagination in our brave new world? Yes, there is the occasional third world voice, but it speaks a first world language. As far back as the first Congo civil war of 1962, the journalist Edward Behr saw a TV newsman in a camp of violated Belgian nuns calling out: "Anyone here been raped and speak English?" In other words, it was not enough to have suffered: one must have suffered and be able to express one's suffering in the language acceptable to the journalist.

of American and global capitalism but at the self-confidence

most powerful country in the world--a country that, despite a dozen major wars in its history, had not seen a

fighting

direct attack on a major city in living memory.

The horrifying events of that one day are also emblematic of our new century. The defining features of today's world are the relentless forces of globalisation, the ease of

communications and travel, the shrinking of boundaries,

It is still the unfortunate truth that those speaking for their cultures in the globalised media are often not the most authentic representatives of them.

the flow of people of all nationalities and colours across the world, the swift pulsing of financial transactions with the press of a button.

Some believe that the bias inherent in the mass media will be overcome by the lInternet, and there is no doubt that the

The aeroplane, the mobile phone, the computer, are the tools of our time. These very forces, which in a more benign

41

human beings" and the "belittling of human identity." He

internet can be a democratising tool. In some parts of the amounts of world, it has already become one, since large information are now accessible to almost anyone.

has argued passionately against reducing individuals to a "choiceless singularity" (few people, after all, have a choice about the religion they are born into) when all of us have so

much more complexity to our identities. Sometimes religion

But that is not yet true in the developing world. The stark reality can of the Internet today is that there is a digital divide: you connections. The tell the rich from the poor by their Internet unlike the French Revolution, is a information revolution

about our own complexity by obliges us to deny the truth in our identities. inherent obliterating the multiplicity

today,

so many today, in And yet we need to understand why identities they could lay one amongst the many privileging

revolution with a lot of liberté, some fraternité, and no egalité.

claim to, have fallen back on religion. Why are so many

which we have So the poverty line is not the only line about the fibre to think; there is also the high-speed digital line, not are who those literally exclude optic line-all the lines that new world. The brave our of the possibilities plugged in to Those key to the Internet divide is the computer keyboard. their imaginations who do not have one risk marginalisation; cannot cross borders. Advances

are

being

made-the

real or imagined, articulated in religious surely lies in the primordial nature of avenues of identity mobilisation religious identity. When other autocratic states) or difficult (in are either restricted (in are entrenched and admit patterns where societies political tend to fall back upon the few interlopers), ordinary people Secular intellectuals them. to that seems basic

political grievances,

terms? The

one

growing strength of mobile

sub-Saharan Africa is one phone usage in South Asia and million cell phones each example: India sels over eight in 2010 it set a world months month, and in three successive month. And, those of you each record by selling 20 million Internet cafes on of the proliferation who travel have seen But there is a long way the subcontinent and elsewhere. democratise information access can we truly to go before to improve their lives. worldwide and help people everywhere

today'sworld,

fanaticism to so many desperate the clarion call of religious few women, around the world. a young men, and even

and valuable there can be something precious human being allows a about religion, about having a faith that hands out their to see himself at one with others stretching we religion can separate But towards God around the world. has which in world religion a of dream from identity? Can we for spirituality will no need the where but an honoured place be associated with the need to belong? Of

a

As a writer,

to co-

that

between societies comes existence within many societies and both of convergence and from the assault that the forces of the fundamental disruption make on our identity. In many ways, not civilisations, conflict of our times is the clash between, no, on the one fundamentalism ethnic but doctrines-religious and the other. hand, secular consumerist capitalism on

snacks in India. globalisation-the

of popular culture is also part Indian to expatriate are exported nis products of "Bollywood" told me of Senegalese friend communities abroad. A montn to India's

Sen has argued Every one of us has many identities. Amartya to people (for example, that ascribing "singular identities"

while overlooking other aspects of his individual makeup) leads to the "miniaturisation of

calling

is

of identity, of which religion Now we must even the most important part. not to many, threat to the a as admit that many have seen globalisation norn-Western parts of the world. differentiated cultures of the will be swept cultures The great fear is that indigenous and Mickey McDonald's aside in a great tidal wave of MTV, a country that from Mouse. As an Indian author, coming culture than most, and whose has globalised more rapidly of a highly to Western influences has therefore been subject And yet conscious of this. visible kind, I am particularly with the recent experience my country's would argue demonstrates consumer products global reach of Western Coca-Cola without becoming coca drink can that we and burgers of many, Baywatch colonised. Despite the fears and Bhelpur Bharatnatyam dances have not supplanted

to what unites us is no would argue that looking distinctive makes us special-our threat to our sense of what individual identities.

biggest challenge

call the cultural only a part, and

I am attracted to what one might

construct

And,

threatened. The

course

longer

unspeakable

Yet many do feel

identity

like Sen, or for that matter myself, may give equal weight fan or an Oxbridge don to the to the tag of being a cricket Hindu a in family. But we are a minority in born fact of being d it would be unwise indeed for us to ignore

conscious of how much reading writer and a reader, I am convinced broaden minds. And, I am and learning does to handmaidens the remain that ignorance and prejudice terrorism as it is of modern civil of violence. It is as true of of the on the ignorance conflicts, that men of war prey case the was arouse hatreds. That populace to instil fears and even genocidal where murderous, in Bosnia and in Rwanda, information and truthful of absence the in ideologies took root the effort had gone into teaching honest education. If only half and not what divides them, those peoples what unites them, crimes could have been prevented.

As

answer

own

Dakar every takes a bus to iliterate mother who

someone "a Muslim"

42

watch a Bollywood film-she doesn't understand the Hindi the French subtitles, but she can still catch the spirit of the films and understand the story. and people like her look at India with stars in their eyes as a result. An Indian diplomat friend in Damascus a few years ago told me that the only publicly-displayed portraits that

dialogue and can't read

were as big as those of the then-president Hafez Al Assad

were those of the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Indian music, Indian fashion and Indian movie stars are also demonstrating new forms of "convergence" in the West today. With that convergence comes an interesting form of disruption: in England today, Indian curry houses employ more people than the iron and steel, coal and shipbuilding industries combined. So the Empire can strike back.

Globalisation, its advocates say, is about growth and development. But it cannot just be a set of figures on GNP tables, a subject for economists and businessmen rather than a matter of people. We are all familiar with the notion that "man does not

live by bread alone". After all, why does man need bread? To

Where does this leave the human imagination? In my first novel, The Great Indian Novel, I reinvented our 2000 year-old epic, The Mahabharata, as a satirical retelling of the story of 20th century India, from the British days to the present. My motivation was a conscious one.

survive. But why survive, if it is only to eat more bread? To live is more than just to sustain life-it is to enrich, and be enriched by, life. Our poorest men and women in the developing world feel the throb of imagination on their pulse, for they tell stories to their children under the starlit skies-stories of their land and its heroes, stories of the earth and its mysteries, stories that have gone into making them what they are. And (since my second novel was about Bollywood) they see and hear stories too, in the flickering lights of the thousands of cinemas in our land, where myth and escapist fantasy intertwine and moral righteousness almost invariably triumphs with the closing credits.

Most developing countries are also formerly colonised countries, and one of the realities of colonialism is that it appropriated the cultural definition of its subject peoples. Writing about India in English, I cannot but be aware of those who have done the same before me, others with a greater claim to the language but a lesser claim to the land. But their stories are not my stories, their heroes are not mine; and my fiction seeks to reclaim my country's heritage for itself, to

And that is as it should be. For if people are to develop, it is unthinkable that they would develop without literature, without song, and dance, and music, and myth, without stories about themselves, and in turn, without expressing their views on their present lot and their future hopes. Development implies dynamism; dynamism requires freedom, the freedom to create;

tell, in an Indian voice, a story of India. Let me stress, a story of India; for there are always other stories, and other Indians to tell them. How important is such a reassertion of identity in the face of the enormous challenges confronting a country like India? Can

creativity requires, quite simply, imagination. But in speaking of a cultural reassertion of imagination, I do

literature, for example, matter in a land of poverty, suffering

not want to defend a closed construct. I believe Indians will not become any less Indian if, in Mahatma Gandhi's metaphor, we open the doors and windows of our country and let foreign winds blow through our house.

and underdevelopment? I believe it does-indeed that cultural

eassertion is as vital as economic development. My novel begins with the proposition that India is not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the

For me the winds of globalisation must blow both ways. The charter of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-UNESCO-memorably tells us that "as war begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the foundations of peace must be constructed". Today we would speak of humankind, rather than of "men", but the sentiment is true not just of war and peace, but of the entire fabric of human life and society-which must be constructed in the mind.

context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly one in an advanced state of decay. Such sentiments are

developed the

privilege of the satirist; but as a novelist, I believe, with Molière, that you have to entertain in order to edify.

But edify to what end? What is the responsibility of the

journalist, the creative artist, the writer, in a developing country in our globalising world? In my own writing I have pointed to responsibility-to contribute towards, and articulate and give expression to, the cultural identity variegated, and multiple, in the Indian case) of the post colonial society, caught up in the throes of globalisation. one

globalisation have in many ways fractured and distorted their cultural self-perceptions. Development will not occur without a reassertion of identity: that this is who we are, this is what we are proud of, this is what we want to be. Writers and creative artists must find new ways (and revive old ones) of expressing their evolving culture, just as society strives, in the midst of globalisation, to find new ways of being and becoming.

to help (shifting

And, that is why the human imagination is so essential in our shrinking globe. As someone once observed about water pollution, we all live downstream. We are all interconnected. But without extending our imagination, we cannot understand how peoples of other races, religions or languages share the same dreams, the same hopes. Without educating and

The vast majority of developing countries have emerged recently from the incubus of colonialism; both colonialism and

143

more wealth than their present, whose imagination is more

broadening our minds, we cannot understand the myriad manifestations of the human condition, nor fully appreciate he universality of human aims and aspirations. This is why, as

valuable than their technology. Recognising that this might be the case, and affirming that tolerance and imagination are as central to humanity's sense of its own worth as the

a writer, Il would argue that the specificities of literature are the best antidote to the fear dominated globalisation of

ability to eat and drink and sleep under a roof, is part of the challenge before the world today.

the imagination. Not that literature implies

a retreat

The only way to ensure that this challenge is met is to freedom in all societies: preserve cultural and imaginative

from the globe: rather, it

is the mind shaped by literature that understands the world

to guarantee that individual voices find expression, that all

and responds to its needs. Literature teaches us to empathise, to look beyond the

ideas and forms of art are enabled to flourish and contend for their place in the sun. We have heard in the past that

obvious and beneath the surface, to bear in mind the smaller picture-of the ordinary human beings who are ultimately the

That goal is the world must be made safe for democracy. now time for all of us to work it is realised; being

increasingly

objects of all public policy.

to make the world safe for diversity.

than And above all, to remember always that there is more one side to a story, and more than one answer to a question.

There is

It seems that in the hand of a warrior sought ancient times a brash young the warrior her father, thought The king, beautiful princess. was a bit too cocksure and callow; he told him he could only

fairly useful prescriptions for public policy makers in the era of globalisation.

Those are

an

old Indian story about Truth.

marry the princess

once

he had found Truth.

identities And, to do all this-to respect our different cultural in other peace and while learning to co-exist with each a personal strike To harmony-we must promote pluralism. of my a is legacy note, my own faith in religious pluralism

He went So the young warrior set out on a quest for Truth. to mountaintops where to temples and to monasteries, ascetics scourged where forests meditated and to

upbringing in secular India.

themselves, but nowhere could he find Truth.

even Secularism in India did not mean irreligiousness, which southern the Communists or avowedly atheist parties like the in DMK party found unpopular amongst their voters; indeed,

from a thunderstorm, Despairing one day and seeking refuge cave. There, in the darkness, a in himself dank, musty he found face and matted hair, her was an old hag, with warts on her teeth broken, skin hanging in folds from her bony limbs, her to know seemed she her breath malodorous. She greeted him; each with and what he was looking for. They talked all night, end the to come had word she spoke, the warrior realised he of his quest. She was Truth.

sages

Calcutta's annual Durga Puja, the Communist parties compete with each other to put up the most lavish Puja pandals. a Rather, secularism meant, in the Indian tradition, profusion state. I the was which by privileged of of religions, none where I lived remember how, in the Calcutta neighbourhood the muezzin calling during my high school years, the wail of the chant of the with blended to faithful lslamic prayer the Hindu Shiva the mantras and the tinkling of the bells at the Sikh outside temple and the crackling loudspeakers Sahib. Granth And, just gurudwara reciting verses from the Cathedral. Paul's two minutes down the road stood St

In the morning, when the storm broke, the warrior prepared Truth," to return to claim his bride. "Now that have found The about the you?" at them palace he said, "what shallI tell them that wizened old crone smiled. "Tell them," she said, "tell

lamyoung and beautiful." So Truth is not always true; but that does not

India Nine years ago, after the 2004 general elections, showed the world the sight of a Roman Catholic political for leader (Sonia Gandhi)winning an election and making way a Sikh (Manmohan Singh) to be sworn in as Prime Minister by Abdul Kalam) in a country that is 81% a Muslim

mean Truth

does not exist.

beings entitled to dispensable their own imaginations. They see only objects, answer effective Our destruction. only pawns in their drive for to own humanity; to them must be to defiantly assert our we

Terrorists fail to see their victims as human

(President

Hindu. That is extraordinary, an event without precedent or parallel in the history of the world. After all, for 220 years the world's oldest democracy did not manage to elect a president who wasn't white, male and Christian-and when it finally

whoever we are and wherever say that each one of us, and to to hope, to dream, are, has the right to live, to love, wori A has that right. aspire to a world in which everyone are also but so in which the scourge of terrorism is fought, ill-healtn, illiteracy, of the scourges of poverty, of famine, of

found Barack Obama, he still ticked two of those three boxes.

In much of the world there exist societies whose richness lies in their soul and not in their soil, whose past may offer

of injustice, and of human insecurity.

44

A world, in other words, in which terror will have no chance to flourish. That could be the world of the 21st century that has just been born, and it could be the most hopeful legacy of the horror that has given it birth.

Ibelieve Kochi Muziris Biennale is a great initiativeto help us realise such a world. A world in which the creative imagination becomes the most significant influence on globalisation,

through the spread of universal human values and democracy. I congratulate the organisers for their vision and passion to celebrate the human imagination. Let this event become a beacon for the creative spirit that is sometimes lost amidst the fears and insecurities of our times.

Dr. Shashi Tharoor

is

Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Govt. of India, former UN Under Secretary-General and author of 14 books.

The article is an edited version of the speech Dr. Shashi Tharoor gave at Kochi Muziris Biennale on January 7, 2013) 145

Kochi-Muziris: The Hyphenated Identity -Bonny Thomas

The rains this time are unusual and uncharacteristic. Ihe nonstop, ominously incessant torrential downpour evokes memories of Muziris.

While Muziris submerged, a new port, Kochi, emerged as a natural port with deeper ship channels.

The rain that this parched land hod once longed for; the rain that the Yavanas hadwaitedfor; and, the ver rain that, in return, had sought the lavanas.

This is the reincarnation of Muziris, Aravindan imagined. Her unsnappable umbilical cord reaches out to

life

into

those yet undecayed

voyages and trade and continents.. -From

Vallarpadam. nerves,

Marupiravi,

When the blood of a new age instills

it is another turn

of transcontinental

of history..beyond the

vessels, it is the inweaving of countries

Sethu's novel based

on

Muziris and Kochi.

In the age of encrypted messages and emoticons, hyphens are

It is interesting to note that the flood that buried Muziris bore evidence of the twin powers of nature-creation and destruction.

taken often, sadly, overlooked. The slender line is hardly of a flourish by most of us as it doesn't have the

seriously

dash, the longer line. and their But for us, the hyphen between Kochi and Muziris, itself. biennale the as as identity are important

hyphenated

on to The Kochi-Muziris Biennale has brought the focus other the and the in lost one time of legends two ports it is the short, hyphen Though a thriving in dynamic present. about 30 denotes a span of a few centuries and a distance of Kerala. kilometres between Fort Kochi and Kodungallur, in

Historians are unanimous in the view that centuries ago Kochi. Kochi developed as a port at Calvathy, near Fort a under cloud, Though the exact location of Muziris is still

historians generally believe that Muziris, the ancient port city that was buried under mud and silt during a flood in 1341, Board a was located near the present-day Kodungalloor. boat from Fort Kochi ferry to Vypeen Island that lies just

In Vypeen there exists a local calendar named 'Puthu Vybpu Varsham' that denotes the flood of 1341. In Malayalam,

the word yppu means creation and Puthu Vybpu' means and local legends say that a a new creation. Historians Island was created in the flood. There is of islands in Periyar between Kochi and are familiar with legends Kodungallur and the islanders about Muziris and the great flood in 14th century.

part of Vypeen an archipelago

Muziris was believed to be a hub of many religions and faith, and it seems that the culture of Muziris was a kaleidoscopic view of religions and cultures.

of Christians believe that St. Thomas, one of the apostles of Jews to Christianity; Muziris preach Jesus, landed in came to Muziris for trade forefathers their that Kerala say arrival. Muslim and settled down even before St. Thomas's and on his Islam belief is that Chera King of Kerala embraced he sent of ill-health, died he way back from Mecca before

word to build the first mosque in India at Muziris. Though beliefs cannot be

history

in beliefs.

established in CE 629.

the road leads north

which

legends too point towards a great heritage Kodungallur prevailed at Kodungallur. Sree Kurumbakkavu or interesting an is This temple temple, is the finest example. Hindu

institution for students of history, archeology and literature as

different periods in history.

Periyar, the longest river in Kerala high ranges and flows towards the

there could be

their For Judaism, Christianity and Islam Muziris was their link gateway to India as the three Semitic religions at Chendamangalam, past to the ancient port. A synagogue reference about 10 km away from Kodungallur, has historical in North Kottakkavu church at A centuries. 13th since 12th & a has historial Paravur, about 10 km away from Kodungallur, in CE 52. The legend saying that it was founded by St. Tomas to have been believed first mosque in India, Cheraman Masjid, is

mouth, and from Vypeen to Kodungallur. Kochi and Muziris came into prominence world in as centres of spice trade to different parts of the across the sea

history,

which

originates

its legend is traced to Hindu Chera King, Senguttavan, and llankovadikal, T" century Tamil epic Silappathikaram, written by King the brother of a Jain monk who is believed to be Kurumbakkavu Sree that Some historians opine

in the

west to merge with the Arabian Sea, was the main waterway for wooden boats

Senguttavan.

valloms or vanchis) carrying spices from farm lands to Kochi and Muziris ports. The two ports were centres of global trade

has a Buddhist past. excavations at

Pattanam,

a

for spices, especially pepper, the black gold; and ships from

Hecent

different parts of the world called at Kochi and Muziris.

throw more about 10 kms away from Kodungallur,

46

archeological

villay lignt o

the

great

civilization

which

ground. Dutch structures 'VOC Gate' and 'David Hall' are at the east and west, and 'Cochin Club', a Dutch building that was used by the English as an elitist European club, is in the western side.

prevailed there centuries ago.

of the world, especially Pattanam's link with different parts Africa and Europe, is archeologically with the Middle East, named Valluvalli Roman coins were found in a place

proven. Kodungallur

near

even

before Pattanam

excavations.

Though the English rule shifted the port to manmade Willingdon Island, Kochi remained a melting pot of cultures. At least 20 ethnic, migrant communities speaking 16 languages have settled in an area of 8 kms at Fort Kochi and Mattacherry in Kochi. Hebrew, English, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu, Kutchi,

can be traced back to more Muziris' trade link with Romans 1st the century Roman author, has than 2000 years. Pliny, that if a sailor followed the Historia' Naturalist his in noted Muziris in 40 days. Muziris was reach wind 'Hippalus' he would mentioned in the ancient Greek voyage document 'Periplous'

Gujrathi, Konkini, Marathi, Rajastani, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu,

and in another ancient document "Geographia' by Greco

Bengali and Kashmiri are the migrant languages Kochi is familiar with. Portuguese-speaking generation of Indo-Portuguese descendants lived in Kochi till the end of 1980s. Arabic words are plenty in the active vocabulary of the locals in Kochi. As the culture of each and every migrant community is preserved and protected, interestingly, Kochi is a place where one can find more than ten gods, goddesses, festivals, rituals and worship places in co-existence in an area of 7 kms for the last many centuries.

Roman writer Ptolemy, who lived in Roman province of Egypt. If Muziris

was

the thesis, Kochi is its antithesis.

Even before the flood in Periyar, Kochi was known to Arabs and Chinese as a port and they did trade in Kochi. With the destruction of Muziris, trade shifted to Kochi. Arabs had major

share in the trade. Their influence in Kochi is still conspicuous One can find at least three mosques in coastal Kochi built by Arabs. According to the local legends, Harbour Juma Masjid or Puthirikkad Masjid in Kochi is the second oldest Muslim structure in India after Cheraman Masjid at Kodungallur.

Outside the confines of established religions, Kochi has a secular belief called 'Kappiri'. Iin Malayalam Kappiri means a black African. There are two indigenous places of Kappiri worship in Kochi, where people irrespective of their religion and cultural identity visit to pray and make offerings. The myth of the Kappiri begins with the slaves brought to Kochi from Africa during the colonial rule.

Chinese too have left their cultural marks with Kochi as the legend says that the name Kochi was given by a king of China. As they were a trading community, the Jews migrated from a 'dead' Muziris to an emerging Kochi. Today the Jewish population in Kochi and Kodungallur is meager as many have migrated to Israel, their promised land.

Another cultural figure set deep in the colonial fabric of Kochi is Pappanji. Every New Year's Eve, at midnight, thousands of people gather at Fort Kochi beach to burn the effigy of Pappanji. The belief is that Papþanji represents "time' and by burning it, they bid goodbye to the previous year and welcome the New Year with celebrations. This centuries-old ritual is marked by music and revelry.

The entry of Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese sailor, with his ships carrying cannons into the lIndian Ocean turned history of Kochi towards the colonial age. Another Portuguese sailor, Pedro Alvaris Cabral, followed Vasco da Gama and arrived in Kochi to make a deal with the king of Kochi in 1500 AD. Fort Immanuel', the first European fort in India, was built in Kochi by the Portuguese in 1503 with consent of the King of Kochi. Portuguese presence in Kochi lasted for more than one and half centuries, till the end of 1662 when they lost a battle to the Dutch. The Dutch rule ended in 1795 to give way for the English. Kochi is the only place in India where three European powers ruled and left their cultural remnants with the locals.

Burning Pabpanji is a combination of Jewish and Indian cultures. While Pabpanji's apparel-suit and hat- is foreign, the act of burning is distinctly Indian. During the Hanukkah festival, the Jews in Kochi used to burn the effigy of the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus as a mark of protest against the seizure of the Temple in Jerusalem in 168 BCE and then the decision to make observance of Judaism an offense punishable by death. Though the ritual is no more

practised in Kochi, ritual of burning of

Parade Ground', a popular football ground at Fort Kochi, narrates the story of colonisation of Kochi. Since the beginning of 16th

hoist Indian tri-colour here. Interestingly, a 180-degree turn

art and vice versa.

look at the symbols of colonial rules. St. Francis Church, the first European church in India built by the Portuguese, where Vasco da a

could be

Kochi-Muziris Biennale, as a synthesis of the past, present and future of art, has opened an access for Kerala with its rich tradition of inclusiveness into the world of contemporary

Portuguese, Dutch and English military marched at century, the Parade Ground. In 1947 the Union Jack was lowered to

rom Parade Ground can give three

Pappanji

influenced by it.

quick

Bonny

Gama was buried, is situated at the northern side of Parade

47

Thomas is

a

writer and the research co-ordinator at hoch1 Biennale

Foundation

Contents 52

Ahmed Mater

232

Gitanjali Rao

62

Ai Weiwei

240

Giuseppe Stampone

70

Alex Mathew

250

Hossein alamanesh

76

Alexis Leiva Machado

258

Ibrahim Quraishi

84

Alfredo Jaar

266

Jalaja PS

92

Amanullah Mojadidi

274

Jannis Kounellis

100

Amar Kanwar

282

Joana Hadjithomas& KhalilJoreige

112

Anant Joshi

290

Jonas Staal

120

Angelica Mesiti

298

Joseph Semah

128

Anita Dube

306

Justin Ponmany

136

Anup Mathew Thomas

314

Jyothi Basu

148

Ariel Hassan

324

KP KrishnaKunmar

156

Atul Dodhya

332

K P Reji

166

Bani Abidi

340

Kiran Subbaiah

174

CAMP

346

Mahlet Ogbe

180

Carlos Garaicoa

354

Majid Naser

190

Clifford Charles

362

Mathangi Arulpragasam

200

Cyprien Gaillard

370

Nadia Kaabi-Linke

208

Dylan Martorell

378

Nalini Malani

216

Ernesto Neto

386

Olga Chernysheva

224

Gert Jan Kocken

394

Prabhakaran k

50

404

Prasad Raghavan

592

T Venkanna

412

Rahul S Ravi

602

Taf Hassam

420

Ranbir Kaleka

610

Tallur LN

428

Rashid Rana

620

Thomas Florschuetz

438

Ratheesh T

630

Thrissur Nataka Sangham

448

Reghunadhan K

638

UBIK

456

Rigo 23

646

Upendranath TR

464

Robert Montgomery

656

V Viswanadhan

472

Rohini Devasher

666

Valsan Koorma Kolleri

480

Sanchayan Ghosh

678

Varavazhi Project

488

Santiago Sierra

690

Vivan Sundaram

498

Shahidul Alam

700

Vivek Vilasini

508

Sheela Gowda & Christoph Storz

710

Wangechi Mutu

516

Shreyas Karle

718

Zakkir Hussain

526

Siji Krishnan

728

Zhang Enli

536

Sosa Joseph

739

Children's Biennale

546

Srinivasa Prasad

745

Higher Education

556

Subodh Gupta

751

Venues

566

Sudarshan Shetty

758

Index

576

Sumedh Rajendran

763

Catalogue Credits

584

Sun Xun

764

Thank You Wall

151

AhmedMater 1979\Tabuk \ Saudi Arabia Lives and works in Abha\ Saudi Arabia

152

Mater studied Fine Arts at AI Miftaha arts village and medicine at Abha College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia.

Mater is one of the most noted artists from the emerging Saudi contemporary at scene. Being a trained medical doctor and an acclaimed photographe, his body of work examines, amongst other things, modern medicine and Islamic faith, incorporating mediums including photography, calligraphy, painting, instalation, performance and video to explore narratives and aesthetics in Islamic culture in an era of globalisation, consumerism and capitalism. Ahmed Mater's exhibitions include #Cometogether, Truman Brewery, London-2012 25years of Arabic Creatiuit, Institute du Monde Arab, Paris, France-2012\ Arab express, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan-2012 Carthoage Contemporary, Musee National de Carthage, Tunisia-20121 Struggles,

Maison Particulière, Brussels, Belgium-2012 \ Haji, journey to the heart of Islam, British Museum, Jeddah-2012 Edge London-2012 Bending Histoy, Katara Galleries, Doha, Gifts ofthe Sultan, LA County Museum of Art, LA-2011 The New Middle East. Wiliem Baars Projects, Amsterdam-2011 Westend? The Museum on the Seam: Socio-Political ContemporaryArt Museum, Jerusalem, Isreal-2011 The Art of Writing? Written Art Foundation, Weisbaden, Germany-2011

Qatar-2012

ofArabia,

Edge of Arabia Terminal, Dubai-2011 The State: Uppers and Downers, Traffic Gallery, Dubai, UAE2011 Ahmed Mater, The Vinyl Factory, London, UK-2010 Edge of Arabia TRANSITION, Sanat Limani, Istanbul-2010\ Gray Borders/Grey Frontiers: Edge of Arabia, Torstrasse 1, Berlin, Germany-

2010 Illumination, ArtSpace, Dubai, UAE-2009 53 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy-2009 Edge of Arabia, Palazo Contarini Polignac, Venice, Italy-2009 The Other, 11 Ciaro Biennale, Cairo, Egypt2008 Edge of Arabia, Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia-SOAS Brunei Gallery, University of London, London, UK-2008\ Artists ofthe Arab World, Arab British Centre, London, UK-2007 Art, Ecology & the Politics of Change, 8h Sharjah Biennial-2007\Ahmed Mater Al-XiadAseeri, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, London, UK-2006 Word into Art, Artists of the Modern Middle East., The British Museum, London, UK-2006; Saudi Photographers Delegation, Tokyo, Japan & Singapore-2006 Son of Assir, Al Miftaha Arts Village, Abha-2006; Calligraphy Biennial, Sharjah-2005; Saudi Arts

Delegation, Tunis, Tunisia-2005 THE END, Abha & Jeddah-2004 Chewing (Mudgah), Almiftaha Village, Abha-2004 Standing in Front of You, King Khalid University, Abha-2004 Bayna, Ma'aynexhibition, Dammam-2004 You are so far from Earth (Shattah) Second Group Exhibition, Al

Art

\

Miftaha Arts Village, Abha-2004 \ Shattah, Attileh, Jeddah-2004 \X-Ray Project, 6h Saudi Malwan Contest Tour, Jeddah, Beirut, Sidon, Manama-2003; Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012, Kochi, Kerala, India.

53

previous page: Detail ARAFAT 1\ADAM (DESERT F

PHARAN SERIES)

2012\photograph\ Moidu's Heritage Plaza,

Fort Kochi.

ARAFAT2 \2012\ photograph.

156

and behavioral pattern of human Examining the nature strenuous pilgrimage, where identities a in physically beings into the identity of one and diversities are submerged

The artists observes that city of Mecca has been going

through many changes in the recent past-architectural

facelifts and infrastructural developments have reshaped it, leaving its emotional stakeholders curious to know what will become of the city. Mater cannot but address the real estate

eclectic crowd, Ahmed Mater sees the Haj as an expression into the of 'true love' and probes work of art. a into process

dynamics

of its ritualistic

changes that are happening to Mecca-houses demolished

to make room for building five-star hotels and infrastructural

Faith is an act of love, Mater seems to argue, using Ka ba a context to base his work on the "love story' of Adam and Eve, who were cast down in India and Jeddah respectively and came together at Arafat, according to Ibn Abbas.

developments. For example, one hotel offers three types

of rooms-with the view of the city, the mosque and the

Ka aba-for varying rates.2 The artist subtly touches on the way 'faith tourism' is making its presence felt in the city where millions of people gather from around the world. And. these contradictions and predicaments have given Mater's urban explorations a topical backdrop.

Rooted in his Aseeri identity, Mater doesn't look away to the West for inspiration for his art practice. Most of Mater's work is influenced by his education and career as a medical doctor as well as by his traditional, religious upbringing and Saudi Arabian culture. His work, which includes photography, calligraphy, painting, installation and video, investigates the narratives and aesthetics of Islamic culture in an era of Islamo-phobia and globalisation. Mater uses a visual language that transcends the imagination of faith, culture and scientific learning without crossing their boundaries.

Kochi-Muziris Biennale is, in a way, an ideal platform for Mater's work. In the biennale where alternate voices and expressions are given space, the buoyancy of spirit, originality and re-emergence of art in its political form from Arab countries open multiple possibilities for artistic expression and dialogue. The examination of this essential ritual of Islamic faith at such close quarters is a rare occurrence in art where Mater brings in a sea of figures in unified motion as a collective unit.

Adam (Desert of Pharan Series)-five photographs and five videos-is a depiction of the relentless motion of a sea of white-clad human beings rapt in the performance of the rituals of the Haj. Ihram, the two-piece white robe, symbolises the stripping of the individual identity.

Adam (Desert of Pharan series) takes the viewer through the complicated and convoluted journey of millions of pilgrims complexities of negating individual identity and the surrender to faith. However, Mater doesn't fail to ask subtle questions in reference to massive infrastructure developments as he shifts the argument from a primarily

to Mecca and the

The millions of pilgrims at the Hajij havethe characteristicsof

both a humongous mob and the individual. In the context of the Haij each person is removed from familiar environs and everything that defines the self except faith. In artist's own

Words, "Pilgrims

are

supposed

to

religious paradigm to one concerned with the modern

forget everything singular

human condition.

about their own lives and enter a similar spiritual state. There is no difference in race, colour or class. Everyone comes together to meet one another and do Hajj for one God." When the camera zooms in on

highlight

the individual

and the individual

people

their movements

element-jostling, pushing, pulling

components come

to the fore.

According to lbn Abbas (Islamic scholar, cousin ofthe Prophet Muhammad): Adam was cast down in India and Eve in Jeddah. Adam went in search of her until they met and Eve drew near to him lidalifat| and therefore the place was called "Muzdalifah" They knew each other lta'arifal at Arafat and hence the name 'Arafat'.

eTaken from a photo-feature, Mecca: Artificial Light, in Creative Time Reports (www.creativetimereports. org), by Ahmed Mater.

Project co-support:

Athr

Gallery. \57

previous page: Installation vieu.

ADAM (DESERT OF PHARAN SERIES) \ 2012.

Stills from video.

JAMARAT BRIDGE \2012.

60

Stills from video. above: MINA/3 \ 2012. below: MINA/4 \ 2012.

\61

Ail#iwei 1957 \ Beijing\ China Lives and works in Beijing\ China

\62

Ai enrolled at the Beijing Film Academy in1978, and at the Parsons School of Design, New York in 1982. Early in his career Ai helped establish the Beijing East Village art district in 1993 and architectural firm 'FAKE Design' in 2003. Widely condisered one of 21 st century's most influential cultural figures and artist-activists, Ai works in sculpture, installation, architecture, curating, photography, film, and social , political and cultural criticism. Ai Weiwei's exhibitions include Ai Weiwei Entrelacs, Jeu de Paume, Paris-2012 \ Ai Weiwei, Museum de Pont, Tilburg-2012\ Ai Weiwei Interlacing, Kistefos-Museet, Jevnaker, Norway-2012; Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei's Serpentine Pavilion-2012 \ Circle of Animals/Z/Jdiac Heads, Pulitzer Fountain, New York and Somerset House, London, UK-2011 \ Ai Weiwei: Teehaus, 2009, Museum fur Asiatische Kunst, Berlin-2011 \ The Unilever Series, Ai Weiwei, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London, UK-2010 \ Dropping the Urn, ceramics 5000 BCE-2010 CE, Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, USA-2010; 29 th Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil-2010; 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, ltaly-2010, Museum DKM, Dulsburg-2010; Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland-2010; Arcadia University Gallery, Glenside-2010\ So sorry, Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany-2009\ According to What?, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan-2009 ; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo-2009; Haus der Kunst, Munich-2009 \ Three Shadows, Photography Art Center, Beijing-2009; Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Cambelltown Arts Center, Sydney-2008; Greninger Museum, Groningen-2008; Ai Weiwei collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics , Made Up, 8 th Liverpool International Biennial, Liverpool, UK-2008; Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Cambelltown Arts Center, Sydney-2008 \ 12 th Documenta, Kassel, Germany-2007 Busan Biennial in Korea-2006 \ Sth Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Australia2006 1st Montpellier Biennial of Chinese Contemporary Art In France-2005 \ 2nd Guangzhou Triennial-2005; Kunsthalle Bern, Berne, Switzerland-2004; Kunsthalle Bern , Switzerland-2004; Caermerklooster-P rovinciaal Centrum voorKunst en Cultur, Gent, Belgium-2004; Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland-2003 \ 1' 1 Guangzhou Triennale in China-2002 48 th Venice Biennale in ltaly-1999; Modern China Art Foundation Collection, CaermerskloosterProvlncial Centre of Art and Culture, Ghent, Belgium-1999; Change-Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Goteborg Museum , Goteborg, Sweden-1995; Avant-Garde Chinese Art, Albany University Art Museum, New York, NY-1986 \ 1st Star Exhibition, outside the National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China- 1979; Kochl-Muziris Biennale 2012, Kochi, Kerala, India.

\63

l nstallal1on vrn.-.

LAO MA Tl HUA !DISTURBING THE PEACE) 2009 ' Roi, ~ rttl B

164

11gawa,

Fort l\ocli 1•

SO SORRY 20 11 \

Rou

Strttl

Bun~afo11

Forl

J\oc•ru

\65

7 Std/ from t•ideo.

LAO MA Tl HUA (DISTURBING THE PEACE) \ 2009.

\66

As much as he questions any form of tyranny, Ai Weiwei challenges the role of an artist in a world being redefined geographically, economically and culturally. Aa an artist, a self-taught architect and an activist, Ai Weiwei pushes boundaries-o ften shocking and numbing our sensitivities and often em barrassing our indifference towards sufferings of fellow beings and to a decaying system-and chooses to portray the harshness and unfair practices that escape the world's studied notice. With an understanding of intrinsic human values, Ai accepts the instinctive and expressive platform of art and uses it to reach the sensibilities of millions. Meticulous and patient, he jolts the system with his boldness and iconoclastic voice, inspiring audiences with his work, encou rag ing them to become part of his practice. Son of renowned poet Ai Qing, who fell out of favou r with the Maoist reg ime in the 1950s, Ai grew up in exile in one of t he most troubled ti mes of Ch ina, the Cultura l Revolution, when freedom was abused and artists and writers were persecuted. Ai had found the Chinese society after the Revolution uninspiring . " It was very slow, very quiet andvgrey. There were not so many expressions on human faces. After the Cu ltural Revolution, muscles were still not built up to laugh or show emotion . When you saw a little bit of colourlike a yellow umbrella in the rain-it was quite shocking . The society was all grey, and a little blue ," Ai has said about the emptiness in those years.

These were actual life-size porcelain seeds, handcrafted in the town of Jingdezhen (about 1,000 kms from Beijing) by 1,600 skilled artisans, taking two years to make with nearly 30 labour-intensive production steps. Ai released a heavy-metal music video , 'Dumbass', in his first album, Divine Comeqy, blurting out expletives against the regime in an effort to break away from any form of domination. He sees this as 'a kind of self-therapy' helping him cope with his 81-day detention in 2011. This is in stark contrast, even paradoxical, to Ai's own long-held aversion towards music, which he considered and associated only with the 'propaganda' when he was 'forced to listen to only Communist music'. At KMB he shows two connected videos - So Sorry and Disturbing the Peace - in which Ai pursues police and officials for breach of law. This is in reaction to the earth quakes in Sichuan province in 2008, which killed over 5,000 school children and brought to light the poor building construction regulations. A brazen Ai, stops at nothing to ensure that the official misgivings are revealed to a society that seems conditioned to sweep everything under the rug . Ai 's videos that cut open the Chinese regime are contextual in a Kerala society which has strong Communist underpinnings. Placing the work of an artist who constantly explores the possibilities of New Media to ask pertinent questions against the system at Rose Street, which was once known as 'Newspaper Street' , was fitting . Rose Street was home to 'Cochin Argus', one of the first newspapers in the country. Edited by Francis Rice, Cochin Argus attacked the system so much that soon two newspapers, Cochin Chronicle and West-Coast Spectator, which later merged to form Malabar Mail, came out from the same street.

Ai's New Media exploits are as effective as his artistic expressions as his voice becomes the voice of a subdued people. He takes risks to make sure he is heard even up to the point of being detained . Ai biogs and tweets on a regular basis documenting his life and activities as an artist through Social Media platforms from a country where media freedom is curtailed by government censorship.

Ai 's famous "selfie tweets" addressing the world by breaking the Ch inese wall, as part of his propaganda works against the system , makes all the more sense in the current hyperactive media context of Kerala where media practices fall victim to the consumerist habits.

Ai lived in New York in early '80s, cutting his artistic teeth , when Andy Warhol was shaking up the world and conceptual performance art was ruling the roost. His life in New York and his associations with artists and poets of the time have helped him understand 'how to combine his life and art into a politically charged performance' through which the world could see modern China, with a punch of political satire. Ai doesn 't pull his punches , no matter what the medium is. Ai believes in shocking scales. His remarkable, thoughtprovoking sculpture, Sunflower Seeds, exhibited at the Tate Modern from October to May 2011 , consisted of a 100 million sunflower seeds spread out over the Turbine Hall is an example of how he connects history of a place and craftsmanship , turning it into a 'contemporary language '.

\67

S11/IJ from 1 rdto LAO MA Tl HUA (DISTURBING THE PEACE)\ 2009\ e1d,o\ 1h, 19m,n.

St,//, from I idto. SO SORRY\ 2011\ t•1dro\54-m1n 28i

\68

169

◄

Alex Mathew 1957 \ Thiruvan anthapur am \ Kerala \ India Lives and works in Hyderaba d \ India

\70

Mathew attended Fine Arts college Trivandrum in 1980 and therea~er completed his post graduate studies from M S University, Baroda, in 1984. Mathew's early work comprised mainly of wooden figures, most of them carved in a manner suggesting the indissoluble and integral link between humans and the earth-world we originate from. His early work often hinted at themes including the spiritual and the erotic in society. A rather striking feature of his later work seems to be the need to retain, as much as possible, the essence of the original material. For example the tree trunks Mathew uses in his carvings seem to retain their brooding , almost sinister, preoccupations; oozing from the shaded areas of the figures and shapes that create them. Alex Mathew's exhibitions include Naples Museum, Italy, Athens Museum, Greece-2010 After Color, Bose Pacia New York-2009 \ Paris Autumn, Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbal-2009 Re-Frame-? experimental films fram India, Lowave/Centre Pompidou, Paris-2009 \ lndi-Dialogue, Gabbaron Museum , Valladolid , Spain-2009 \ Centre de la Image, Barcelona and Artium, Vitoria, Spain-2009 \ Where in the World, Devi Art Foundation , New Delhi-2008-2009 \ Singapore lntemational Photograp'9 Festival-zoo8 \ New Narratives-:{jmmerli Art Museum, New Jersey, USA-2008 \ AiY Life is my Message-La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain-2008 \ Shifling Terrains, Altered Realities, Empire Art and The Shrine Gallery in New Delhi, Singapore-2008; Bose Pacia Modern , New York, USA2008 and Nature Marte, New Delhl-2008 \ Streetside Theatre, Media Wave Festival, Gyor, Hungary, National School of Drama, New Deihl and Salzburg Festival , Austria-2008; Tarahan-e-Azad Gallery, lran-2008, Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, Gallery Chemould , Bangalore, Vidyashankar Art Centre, Mohile Parikh Centre, Mumbai , Hyderabad , Design Friday, Bangalore-2007 and Galerie Zurcher, Paris-2006 \ fndian Express, Helsinki City Art Museum, Finland-2006 Ultra New Vision of Contemporary Art, Singapore Art Museum-2006 \ Indian Video Art: Between Myth and History, Part of Cinema Prayoga: Indian Experimental Film and Video 1913-2006, Tate Modern , London-2006 \ I, Me, AiYself, Kashi Art Gallery, Kochi-2005 \ 2nd Yokohama Triennale, Japan-2005; Chemould, Mumbai and at Seagull Arts and Media Center, Kolkata, lndia-2004 \ Indian Laqy, Bose Pacla Gallery, New York-2004; Phantom Lady and Sun here Sapne, Walsh Gallery, Chicago, USA-2003 \ Century Gig, Tate Modern, London, UK-2 001 \ Art from India, Los Angeles Biennale, USA-1999 , Dispossession, Afrlcus, 1st Johannesburg Biennale, South Africa-1995 \ Timeless Art, Victoria Terminus, Mumbai-1989 \ 6"' Trlennale-lndia, New Delhi, lndia-1986 \ Sculpture show, Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore-1983\ Seven Young Sculptors, Kasauli Art Centre, New Delhi, lndia-1985; Kochi-Muzlris Blennale-2012 , Koehl, Kerala, India.

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Dtla1/.

UNTITLED 2012\ s1tt sptcific sculpturt \

anchor ond iron chain\ 396 l 192 cm (approx.)\ Prpptr Houst for-4 hor'11

What strikes most when you look at the untrtled work of Alex Mathew In the elegant lawn of Pepper House Is ,ts profound s1mplic1ty. An old, rusty anchor with its chain suspended m1da,r-a halt in the torrent of time, a throwback to the yore, a feel of the spirit of the land As brevity is the soul of wit, s,mphcity is the heart of profundity.

Influenced by his political ideologies and activism. Mathew's practice was formed In the 1980s as a reaction to the politics of the t,me and his involvement with the Indian Rad,ca/ Pa1ntm and Sculptors Assoc1ahon. Mathew started off working with wooden sculptures {mostly human figures) carved In a manner emphasising the endunng link between humans and the earth. Towards the late 90s he started experimenting with fibre-glass which also had conceptual overtones-a diversion from his pan-natural unity and sensual desire. Mathew's later works exhibit the essence of the material he uses-in this case, the rusted anchor and chain almost as they are. It Is the pos1t1oning and the context of Its placement that give the work layers of cultural moorings and historic perception. The anchor is a five pronged moderately sized one. The anchor, loaned from the Cochin Port Trust. is placed in the open space of the quadrangle of the disused spice godown, and allusions to trade and bygone robust mercantile activity are inescapable. In a way, ,t hints at the looking back on the legend of Muz,ris, a histoncal port town. While the work is astonishingly simple, what is complex are the reactions and feelings it evokes. Similarly, the object Is rigid but the ideas it brings to mind are amazingly flexible. The worn anchor suggests the image of a ship which ,n its turn Is suggestive of travel, voyage and trade. In the context of the KMB, the allusion to colonisation is inherent. The Installation evokes feelings of the complex relationship between the coloniser and the colonised. and the shift of the centre to the margins as also the blurring of boundaries

Pro1tdco-1upporl.: Cochin Port Trust.

175

The historical ,mplicauons of this cultural medley and the transformations wrought about ,n the human psyche by globalization. form the ethos of this work. The anchor then becomes a symbol of the exchange of ideas and thoughtan emblem of what was left behind and a token of what has come about The spice godown which holds no spices now and a land which survives on showcasing rts history are contrasted sharply with the zest of the people and their dreams. The welcoming spin! and the socio-cultural and pohUcal integration are charactenst1c of the land. The mult1hngual and multicultural 1dentitres of ,ts present day successor are also evoked by this v1v1d imagery. It assimilates all IntrusIons and exhibits the pluralism and d1versrty like so many banners. From this melting pot of influences. what emerges Is a 'distinct individualistic self. The 'tortured ng1d1ty' of the cha,n rising from the anchor and its spiralling movement bnng to mind the ellipse of time and complex imagery of history which was sought to be retained, but has broken the shackles and gone. The apparent age of the ob1ect and rts disuse in the immediate past can be seen from the rust that it is now covered with. The mystery of the unseen depths Is a clear suggestion. One does not see the route the anchor takes, ,ts tug and stay are but to be felt. The unseen is also perceived but out ,n the glaring sunlight It assumes a different character, a new meaning. Likewise. the existence of the submerged port of Muziris is a heavy presence In our psyche, though rts tangible character remains concealed from view, its existence is undisputed as it beckons us as the sea does a sailor. The search goes on for the essence of existence. in the deep confines of our souls.

Machado graduated from the National School of Fine Arts, Havana.

Alexis Leiva Machado 1970 I Isla de la Juventud I Cuba Lives and works in Havana\ Cuba

in

1990.

Migration Is a major theme In Machado's work; boats, oars, docks and water are the recurrent motifs throughout his body of work. Known pnmarily for hos large scale site-specific installations, Machado Is also an excellent draftsman creating pa1ntIngs drawings and prints in metJculous detail. His forms suggest many things, with more unfolding as assoclatlons are triggered. In his case, a multiple array of meanings open without any extra lines, also seemingly without sacrifice to simplicity. Alexis Leiva Machado's exh1b1tions Include Integration and Resistance In the Global Age, 10"' Havana 81ennal, Wilfredo Lam Contemporary Art Centre. Cuba-2009 l Ha r a O,ram . An lntrmat,onal Tnbutr to Mart,n Luthrr K,ng,}r., The Gabarron Foundafion Carriage House Centre for the Arts, New York-2009 Kcho, Cadrna d, rrun,Jiraoon fam,l,ar (Kcho, Cad,na fam,!J ,runificat,on) Marlborough Chelsea, New York-2008 Latin Amrncan .\lastm, Marlborough Chelsea. New YorlFfJJ l , t , l< Jl :/1

prruour J,a(t• ln11allallon v1r111

THE SOVEREIGN FOREST\ THE COUNTING SISTERS 201 J\ sdk-scrttntd, hal'ldmadt

banana f,br.r J,aptr book, SOC version 2 praJtctton, HD colour, siltnt\ 40min\A1p1nr:val1 Houst

Fort Kach,.

Amar Kanwar breaks _d own notions of personal aesth~tlcs and ex lores the posslb1l1t1es of mult1med1a to derive arts socio~tical potential to ask questions, to disturb our conditioned :nsclence towards greed and explo1tat,ons by unfettered industrialisation and the degradation of the environment.

Recently implemented econo "neo-hberallsm", discourages ;1~ :::~~~:n1~te guise of in f~our of corporat1zat1on of agnculture By ex~~~rt~~~;; ~nu~h~1cto~~1es, Kanwar creates a space which is relevant emporary Kerala context. Visitors lmmed,atel relate to the extinct species of nee displayed across th~ length of the exh1brt1on space as the state expenences a tremendous decline. to near nonexistence. in nee cultivation because of the poor focus on food crops. Kerala, which was once self suffice1nt m nee production, now depends on supplies from ne1ghbounng states.

Kanwar makes films that connect personal spheres to social and political processes, often weaving symbols and Ideas Into new meanings, eliciting a probing, d1sturb1ng narrative. In retracing history through ,m_ages, obJ_ects, literature, poetry and song, Kanwar creates lyric_al, med1tat1ve film essays that represent trauma or political s1tuat1on of a region In conflict as much as finding ways through them.

Th, Sovtrtign Fomt IS an_ 81/0lvmg and moving installation where the viewer is invrted to add further matenal to the already voluminous body of evidence - a photograph a film a document, a text, a song. a poem, an obiect, seed·. cloth: pattern, drawing, or any 'evidence' in any form to the constellation of evidences presented. The central film, 11,, Sctn, ofCnm,, offers an expenence of landscape Just prior lo erasure as terrrtones marked for acqUJS1!1on for heavy industnes. Every location, every blade of grass, flVery water source, every tree that is seen in the film Is now meant to not exist anymore. Th, Setnt ofCnm, is an expenence of 'looking' at the terrain of this conflict and the personal fr;es that eXJst w1th1n th,s natural landscape.

Th, Sov,mgn FortSt Is an attempt to inspire a poetic response to our understanding of crime, politics, human rights and ecology. A constellation of moving and still images, texts, books made from plantain fibre, pamphlets, albums, music, objects, seeds, events and processes, the work is an effort to understand the overlapping languages of existence and exploitation around us - even the validity of poetry as evidence in a trial , the discourse on seeing, on understanding, on compassion, on issues of justice, sovereignty and the sacred principle of self determination. Th, Sovereign Forest is evidence of the many events, conversations and interactions it had before it took shape with overlapping identities of an exh1brtion , a library, a memorial, a public trial, an open call for the collectlon of more 'evidence' and an archive. Though the work 1s specifically about the conflicts in Odlsha, Kanwar investigates the political, social , economic and ecological conditions on the entire subcontinent.

Kanwar, who spent h,s early chlidhood ,n Koch,, chose the site for his 1nstallat1on wrth prec,s,on and 1ns1ghl The long stark co1r godown was meticulously transformed under Kanwar's exacting supervision. The room with rts exh1b1ts In the middle and the two screens dep1ct1ng the videos of cnme and of love at erther end contnbute to the integrated wholeness of the project The text employed by the artist compliments the evidence of the VISuals and becomes secondary to it.

H,s 1998 film, A Season Outs,d,, addresses sectarian violence and border conflicts while A Night of Proph«) (2002) alludes to the poetry of resistance. The Lightning Teshmonits (2007) examines sexual violence and Kanwar believes that "These events [conflicts in Odisha between local communities, the government and corporations over control of agricultural lands, rivers, forests] are similar to the experiences of several communities across India over the past 15 years". ltfl. Dttoil.

THE SOVEREIGN FOREST 2 72 vcmtlits of ind,gtnous,

organic rlct suds\ •11pinuoll Hou1t, For/ hoch,

The entire work reaches out to complex and diverse audiences: slowly revealing rts mearung over the vanous media used to complete the expenence of understanding. The primary evidence presented by the artist 1s collected from scenes of cnminal destruction and confiscation on Odisha.

An alternate truth depicted with diverse media - a shift ln the perspectives which brings new realities to life - 77,, Sovereign Forest Is a grand narrative indicative of deprivation and violation. Indigenous paddy seeds lost forever names of th e farmers and the dates on which they commi~ed su1c1de farmland and homesteads acquired for mines and industries' loS t lives and livelihoods - a catalogue of profound lo~ unfolds before the viewer disturbing the tranquillity of our comfortable notions and apathetic outlook.

The starkness of the e"'dence shocks the "'ewer and leaves him wrth a pertinent question; who galflS from this largescale exploitation?

Pro1ect co-support, The Artist , KNMA and Manan Goodman Gallery. \ 104

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Sheela Gowda & Christoph Storz d ti\ Kamataka \ India 1957 \ !~~h:~ ~G \ Switzertand . 1952 \ rk Lives and wo s .in Bengaluru \ India

Sheela gained her Diplom a in paintin g from RM Hadap ad's Ken School of Art in Benga luru. She then studied for a year at M S Univer sity Baroda followe d by a post diplom a at Viswab harati, Santln iketan, India. She gained an MA in paintin g under Peter de Francia , at the Royal Colleg e of Art, London . Sheela Gowda's exhibitions include Gorden ofleommg, Busan Biennale, South Korea-2012 Indio Tad'!Y, Arken Museum, Copenhagen, Denma rk-2012 Ind ion Highw'!Y, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing-2012 \ Suboverseer, Ambarish 1V, Highcourt, Boltery, Noalikothombon ond others, GALLE RYSKE, Bengal uru-20 11 Therein and Besides, lniva, Rivington Place,London-2011 \ Paris-De lhi-Bomb'!Y, Centre Pompidou, Paris-2011 \ Open House, Singap ore Biennale, Singapore-2011 Indian H,ghwq; ,, MAXXI, Rome-2011 , Musseum of Contem porary Art, Lyon and Heming Museum of Contem porary Art, Herning-201 0 \ Orientation, Trajectoms in Indian art, Foundation de 11 L ijnen, Oudenb urg, Belgium2010 \ Postulates ofConhguity, Office For Contem porary M Norway-2010 Behold, NAS Gallery, Sydney201 0; 2"" Thesalonlki Biennale, The State Museum of Contemporary Art-Costakls Collection and the Contemporary Art Center of Thessa lonikl-2009 Tat1h Art and Soc,al Fobnc, MuHKA, Antwerp2009 \ Provisions, 9'" Sharjah Biennial, TarekAbou El Fetouth-2009 Indio Modemo , lvam Museum, Valencia, Spain-2009-2008 \ Sonthol Fam,Jy, Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp-2008 Reflections of Contemporary India, La Casa Encendlda, Madnd , Spain-2008 fire Wofkm, Contemporary Artists from Indio ond South Asia, Stefan Stux Gallery , New York-2008 Touching Base, Museum Gouda, Gouda-2008 Crime ficI10n, GALLERYSKE , Benga luru-20 08; 12'" Documenta12 , Kassel2007 \ o o's, The /hstoryofo Decode That HasN ot YetBeenNamed, 9~Lyon Biennale, France-2007; BosePac,a Gallery, New York-2006 \ Pl'!)'IL1lo, Contemp orary Miniatures ondNewArt from South Asia, Melbou rne2006\ lndian Summer-Contemporary Ari from Indio, Paris, France-2005 \ On earth ond in heaven, Gallery Ske, Bengaluru-2004 \ Contemporary M from lnd,a, Thomas Erben Gallery, New York-20 04; Khoj 2003, International Workshop, Benga luru-20 03; Montreal, Canada; Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver2002 Drawing Space, lnlVA, Beaconsfield Gallery, London, Angel Row Gallery, Notting ham-20 00 Traditions/Tensions, 27 South Asian Artists, Asia Society/Queens Museum, New York-19 96; Afrlcus, South African Biennale, Johannesburg1997; Tangente, Schaffhausen, Switzerland-19 94; Venkata ppa Art Gallery, Benga luru-19 93; Gallery Chemould, Mumbal-1993 Timeless Art. Victoria Terminus, Mumbai-1989; Yelwala, Mysore-1989; Gallery 7, Mumbai-1989; Bharath Bhavan Biennale, Bhopal1988; Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bengal uru-19 87; Kochl-Muziris Biennale 2012, Kochi, Kerala, India.

Christo ph Storz studied fine arts in Rome and Vienna under Montan arini, Bazan Brock and Oswald Oberhu ber. He lives with Indian contem porary culture since 1988 and is a cofoun der of BAR1 and a memb er of the Institut e for Aesthe tics of Corrup tion in Banga lore. Christoph Storz's exhibitions include Buchetto Rome, 1977 (EFEMERE); Secess 5 ion Vienna, 1980 ( Begleiter); Filiale Basel, 1989 {[(A)(M][ ADDI}; Kunsthaus Aarau, 1986/19 94 (Stoerung mtt Schnoerkel/ETLICHE OEITTRS); Kunstra um Kitt 2001 (RUMORS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED); Gallery SKE, 2005/07 (How to outwit a mosqui to); Samuha, 2010 compiled by Oarsed) and: IS IT POSSIBLE NOT TO MAKE ART at BAR1, 2012, in Bengaluru.

\508

Sheela's art deals with the questions of Indian feminine Identity In these times of transformation and displacement. Employing a range of media including painting , drawing , sculpture and installation, she Integ_rates substances th~t display their everyday presence both In urban and rural India which demonstrate an allegoncal effective ness. Sheela's process-based work frequently blurs the bounda ry between fine art and craft. She also experiments with the idea of matenal displacement to eke out new meanin g in obJects . Sheela, who trained at London's Royal College of Art In the 1980s, began her career as a painter, but change d the direction of her work In the early 1990s when India was going through cultural and economic upheavals and transfor mation. She began to make sculptures and installations that addressed the socio-cultural challenges of a changing India, especially of women who hved on the economic margins .

S1opover - a collaboration between Sheela Gowda and Christoph Storz - shatters our ideas and expectations of aesthetics by creating an installation of 170 granrte grindstones salvaged from dismantled houses across the city oJ Bengaluru. We first get a glimpse of disused pestles abandoned in a loft before the stones are seen. The muchused articles are carefully arranged in a seemin gly haphazard pattern-denser indoors and thinning out as they are scattered on th e Jetty, open to the elements as If being returned to nature whence th th ey came-scattered out as tt reaching out into e sea and on to the worlds beyond . The weight of the b • sit sIngularl h o Jects is their most obvious attnbute - they of the k t h y eavy on our collective memory . Associations the sm~l~s '::'~ 0; th e past , the women labourin g in them and Were squeez:d 1a~ours are oft remembered. Spices which nd and the st an grou for their essence com _ e to mind The obj Ilse oI the installation assumes added importance: ec Which were a rt f . of the kitchen- the do . pa O the intense ly private space main of the women of the house-have

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Mal-render the features. Tots aesthe!Jc and conceptual device Is a form of invrtat1on to think of oneself from ou1s1de, to reassess what we are and what we want from others; the opening of the http:// hfvprojecl.com website allows thlS tnteract,on to take place at a global scale, empowenng people to engage In the discuss,on and pu1 their own contingencies forward.

The uncertainty of the future as viewed from a d isturbed and turbulent present - In the personal as well as the collective sense - Is suggested by the unpred,ctabllity of financial markets. In that sense, hope and foreboding coexist ,n the work much as they do ,n the youth.

C,chrn Club. fort hocht.

prn,oui &.· nut pagt: lnslallat,on

It was the news of Chinese schoolch,ld!en being forced to work in ,Phone factones that became the ,mpetus to the project, according to Hassan. Hassan lived ,n Koch, for many weeks prior to the opening of the exh1b,11on In order to carry out research. For hlS project Hassan systematically Interviewed local residents and tounsts regarding their attitude towards formal educat,on.

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ProJtct co- 1uppor1. Au stralia Councll for the Arts and Th e Australlan Government

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Dodiya earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts fro'." Sir J J School of Art, Mumbai in 1982 later studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Pans In 1992

AtulDodjya 1959 \Mumbai\ Maharashtra I India Lives and works in Mumbai\ lnd_ja

Dodlya's art career st_arted as a painter and he later began to work in installations, sculpture and photography. His works ar_e p~pulat_ed by diverse tradrt1ons in painting, texts, and images from contemporary media. His vaned subIect matter has included saints, cinematic legends, national history, political events and autobiographical narratives. His allegoricai aintings on canvas or metal roller shutters and watercolours may be aggressive or poetic ~ccording to the perception of the viewer and exhibition context. While staging the histories, mythologies, the city, and the body wrthin the localised experiences, Dodlya uses mediatic images and frames but in an often subversive manner. Dodlya has never allowed himself to be restricted by any particular stylistic choice or medium. Atul Dodiya's exhibitions include: Scnbe.i from Timbuktu, Galerle Daniel Templon, Pans-2012 Art for Human19, Coomaraswamy Hall, Mumbai-2012 ProJtct Cinema C19, National Gallery of Modem Art, Mumbai, New Delhi & Bangalore-2012 2012, A Further Global Encounlrr, Grosvenor Vadehra, London-2012 How Am I? Narratives about the Search for Identity In Different Realities, Kastrupgardsamhngen, Copenhagen-2012 INDIA, Art Now, Arken Museum of Modem Art, Copenhagen-2012 7'' Arm Parific Tmnial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane2012 \ Bako Exists. Imagine, Chemould Presscott, Mumbai-2011, 2007, 1989 Agauut All Odds, A Gont,mporory Response lo th, Histonograply, af Arch1v1ng Coll,d1ng, and Museums In India. Rav.ndra Bhavan, New Delhi-2011 Laugh Lines, Humour, Wrt and Satire, Gallery Threshold, New Delhi2011; Paris-Delhi-Bombay, Centre Pomp1dou, Paris-2011 Ontnlalions-Tra1edone.s rn Intban Ari. Foundation De Elf Ujnen, Belgium-2011 Shadow Lines. 11th 81ennale Jogja, lndonesia-2011; Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi-2010, 2007, 1999: Nature Morta, Berlln-2010 Urban Monnm-2, SESC Pompeia, San Paulo, Braztl-2010 lrwd, Indio-A Joum9 through ront,mporary Indian Ari, Palazzo Saluzzo di Paesana, Turin, ltaly-2010 Modem Art aflnd10, Th, Ethos of Mad,m11J, organized by National Gallery of Modern M Delhi at Sichuan Museum, Shenzhen Museum and Zhejiang Provincial Museum, China-2010 3• Moscow B1tnna/e of Contemporary Art. Russia-2009 Chula! India, A N,w Era of Indian Art, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan and The National Museum of Gu,angJu 81tnnal,, GwangJu, Contemporary Art, Korea & Essl Museum. Vienna-2008-2009 Korea-2008 Urban Manners-Contemporary Artist from India, Hangar B1cocca, Milan, ltaly-2007 Documenla(J 2), Kassel, Gerrnany-2007 Gattw'!)I Bomb'!)/, The Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA-2007 Indian Contemporary Art, Busan Museum of Modem Art, Busan, South Korea-2007 Horn Please-Narratives In Contemporary Indian Art. Kunstmuseum Bern, Swrtzer\and-2007 Edg, of Desire, Recent Art in India, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; Asia Society Museum, New York Tam'!)lo Museum, Mexico City; Museum of Contemporary Art, Mexico and NGMA, New Delhi and Bombay-2004-2006 Indian Summer, Ecole nalionale superieure des beaux-arts, Paris-2005 Mosola-Diuersiry & Democra9 1n South Asian Art. Wilham Benton Museum of Art, Universrty of Connecticut Storrs-2004 ,New Indian Art, Home-Street-Shnne-BQZJJar-Mus,um, Manchester Ar1 Gallery, Manchester-2002 Capitol & Karm°' R,c,nl Posihon m lndwn Art, Kunsthalle, Vienna-2002 Century Ci9, Art & Culture m the Modern Mtlropolu Bombq)I/Mumbo1, Tate Modern, London-2001 J' lokohoma Tnenna/e, Yokohama, Japan-2001; Kochi-Muziris B1ennale 2012, Koehl, Kerala, India

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1157

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The 'chemistry' of space, at Aspinwall House, inspired Atul Dodiya to depart from the routine. B~t since his fundamental vision is that of a painter's, he hasn t digressed much from the walls Flat surfaces, be It canvas._ walls or metal roller shutters, are a critical. component 1n Dod1ya's creative d play. And the walls, In this case are that of a disused c ~em ical laboratory, a perfect foil for the •nu1d history' or 'memory voyage' the artist has set sail amid salty breezes, olive-blue w aters and sirens of ships smoothing away. Fissured walls, peeling paint and faded. inkjet-printed labels of •a .OD Bottles' and 'Test Tubes' have nothing to do, peripherally, with a narrat ive_ of the_ last 70 years of Indian art and culture b ut , come to think of it, these 231 photographs of people and candid mo ments have been captured 1n a digital camera - the contemporary archival tool of the common man.

These photographs are sherds of memory and documents of relat1onsh1ps. Dodiya has w orked meticulously to pick the 231 pieces from over 7 ,000 p hotos in his personal collection, making the selection process itself a democratic process In art-making - the difficult yet free task of sieving strands of memory, picking and choosing them, setting some aside and framing some anew, like making a celebratory album of a big, joint family of contrasting personalities and milestone events.

•

I

Photography In the work is not an effort to attain the perfect shot - the light, shade and the focus have no significance as the very prosaic process of ca ptunng without finesse and expertise, but involve the chnical exercise of archiving the present continuous to be showcased in a defunct lab. These photographs of texts, artis ts, curators, cnt1cs and theatre personalities signify stages and moments an insider In Indian art community has lived with or is familiar with. By making the capturing process a mundane exercise the artist reconstructs a pattern set firm by the eye or an understanding seasoned by trad1t1on.

...

The word 'experiment' sinks into th e sktn and gets into the ol factory as the air in the old lab carries the memory of some distant chemical odour and shrieks o f eureka and muted resilience of failures . The story of Indian contem porary art ha~ many . significant faces , momentous occasions and quiet denning moments, and to put all o f them Into an old chemical lab of white, broken walls w ith nddles of decay and Juxtaposing them with the sea breeze and a honzon sagging into the serrated edge of the sea Is to g ive history a new pers.pect,ve and rendering a strange combination of a sense of triumph and a deja vu of yearning.

•

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Pro1,c1 co uippor1• The Artist , Gallery Chemould , Vadeh ra Art Gallery and Photokina.

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The casualness and candid nature of most photos, the arrangement and the thoughtful white emptiness between them, often cracked Joke memory itself, take one into a chemical process of remembenng and recollecting, much hke the darkroom process In photography It Is also about guessing the story behind each shot pricking one's ears for peals of laughter, broken syllable or for the silence of a hushed sigh. The absence of captions for the photos accentuates this feeling and one has to Imagine or delve deep into memory to recollect the time and occasion. The absence of captions gives one the freedom to fictionalise the facts and figures , making vIewIng Dod1ya's first photography exh1b1t1on an expenment in a laboratory.

'C,l,brahon In Th, Laboratory' Is not the magnum opus of the painter in Dodiya but a serend1p,ty of an artJst with an imagination that seeps out of the practiced, and a sense of occasion that understands the h1stonc relevance of the first Indian b1ennale woven around memones of a cosmopofitan past and of many h1stoncal moments. One of the Indian artJsts who has partJc1pated in DOCJJmmlo and ma1or b1ennales and has had solos in leading cities, Dodiya ,s celebrated for his diverse styles in painting. Every Journey Invariably tells a story of departures and amvals, of moments of discovery and loss, of songs and silence, of symbols and emptiness, of discord and harmony. Unllke the eternal anticipation or sense of loss In Gr,c,on Um, there Is no frozen anxiety hen! but a fluib," coll,d Coned, Arl ..., estoblu/i,d. -Imo~ di, """' of Conom .-lrl .., di, dutooa"!: of .uuol on, Ehich oad Jll,;,,d ,ucl, o""'"' .-ol, 1n •ht post. apmnon Jrom

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ProJtct co-.s-uppo,t The ArtiSl and The Embassy of Brazil \221

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01111.

LIFE IS A RIVER\2012

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Gert Jan Kocken 1971 \ Ravenstein \ The Netherlands Lives and works in Amsterdam\ The Netherlands

Kocken graduated from the National School of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba. Kocken's work is an on-going research Into the remembrance and visual representation of pivotal episodes in world history; such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan . The artist believes that when these episodes are committed to our collective memory, they form Intricate constellations of facts, interpretations, opinions and visual impressions. This process of memorization is inftuenced by official chronicles and mass media, which often offer clear-cut accounts of inherently ambiguous events. Kocken crrtically engages with these accounts and aims to expose the complexity of history. By creating new juxtapositions of historical images and texts, he offers the viewer multiple viewpoints that encourage the contemplation of alternative readings and counterlactual histories. Gert Jan Kocken's exhibitions include How Much Fasc1SJ11, Extra City, Antwerp-2012 Jdenb!,. Sammlung Hoffmann, Berlin-2012 What ls The Use OJB,mgA Ba:, IJYouAr, GomgTo Grow Up To &A Mon, Annie Gentils Gallery, Antwerpen-2012 The Mechanical Cocoon-Art, et Am,aha,, Arnsterdam2012 \ When.flandm Faded, RHA Gallery, Dublin-2011 ; Positions-Stede!Jk Museum Sch1edam, Schiedam201 0\ Monumentalism, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam-2010 To Uie Arts, Cit~ns. MuseuSerralves, Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto-2010 Rastros FundaciNT Foto Coledama, Barcelona-2009 One's History Is Another's Misery, Autocenter. Berlm-2009 Nature as Artifice, New Dutch Landscape 111 Photograp1!J and Video Art, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, NY-2009 \ Defacmg-StukKunstcentrum, Leuven-2009; 21 Rozendaal. Enschede-2008 fuentia/Jy Absent Nest, The Hague-2008 Nature as artific" nw dutch landscape 111 photograp!J, and vidto art, Kroller-MOller Museum, Otterlo-2008 The Past m Uie Pr,sent-Dutch Mus,um of Phatograp!J,. Rotterdam-2008; Gert Jan Kocken-Stedelijk Museum Bureau, Amsterdam-2007 Dutch Darr, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney-2006 Geen Uitvcht Z9 Ver-Stadsgnl,"J Hml,n, Heerten2004 \ De Pare/, Artwalk, Amsterdam-2004 Scopofil,a, Centrum Beeldende Kunst Dordrecht, Dordrecht-2003 \ TheFim Round- Huis Marseille shchlingvooifotografie, Amsterdarn-2003 Lln,s ofCandudP/IIIIAKT, Amsterdam-2003 \ 13 Photo's, De Balie, Amsterdam-2001; Kochi-Muziris Biemale 2012, Kechi, Kerala, India.

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.r I is comprised of four pieces from 11,, /nsuffi"'"9' 01 mag':, four year proIect examining religious Kocken's Defocingse~es~noclastic fury and three new wooden idols dest royed by cChrist made from instructions given in sculptures of Jesu~ 17 oo's. Iconoclasm Is the deuberate manuscripts fr0 ':1' eculture of its own religious icons and destruction within ally fo r po litical motives. It is a frequent other symbols, usurapolit ical or religious changes, even today. component of ma10 . be c arried out by people of a different Jconoclas~ ~ ~~en the result of sectarian disputes between I religion, bu the same relig ion. In Christianity, iconoclasm 0 faction s \ b en mo t ivat ed by people who adopt a hteral has genera Y ~ the Ten Com mandments, which forbid the lnterpretat~n hipping of "graven Im ages or any likeness making ~n • w~e degree o f iconoclasm among Chnstian of anyth nii . varies In 16th Cen tury North-western Europe, sectlst gr~ain~erpret;tio n of The Second Commandment led t~~t~:i~nt zealots to attack and 'd eface' religious images churches, including paintings, sculptures and other representations. Often the images were not completely destroyed, but partially maimed and scarred. In some ,nstances, Protestants also destroyed the imagery of other Protestants. Through t he project, Kocken shows us rel igion 's historic problems w ith images - meandering through time and after long periods of research, he shows us how changes to religious interpretations has both created and banned images of deities throughout history.

page. : ln slal/otion v1t:11.,.

THE INSUFFICIENCY OF IMAGES

2012 \ photograp'9\ Prppcr Houst?- Fort Koc ht

Kocken 's challenges our collective memo~/. The penod of destruction by the Protestants has been recorded mainly In texts. but rarely have the actual objects of destruction been photographed To present these images in the context of art ,s an invocation to the past and an attempt to mitigate the potential damage of our fraught present. The insufficiency of images or the insufficiency of history itself - Kocken argues - Is the possibility of perceivmg history from a new view point by placing an imaginative historical world in Kochi where the history of early religious m,grat,on sleeps. By conducting intense research and deep analysis, Kocken's practice searches for the artistic poss1b1lities of history by bringing rt. into the contemporary art space. Making history as a medium for art and allowing for new interpretations and new readings on rt becomes a critical and revolutionary political act.

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The Swiss philosopher and protestant pastor Johann Kaspar Lavater is most well known for tus work ,n the field of physiognomy, P!s,s,ognomU-1778) which discarded existing depIct1ons of Chnst m favor of formulating a set of 'objective', textual cntena From these he forged lengthy descnpt,ons of Chnst's face, which he in turn gave to local artists as 1nstructIons. hoping they could create an image of "the ideal of Chnst".

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Lavater was never satisfied with the results, because the artists were too influenced by the existing images of Chnst. For Th, /nsufficitng of Images, three Indian sculptors were commissioned to create a sculpture based on Lavater's original instructions wrthout knowing the 'models were meant to be of Jesus Christ. As part of the proJect Kocken also provided these instructions to local artists to create wooden busts of the male head, unknown to the sculptors. these were Instructions to make the perfect idol of Jesus Christ as stipulated in Lavater's ongmal text.

Kocken creates a new narrative as part of a wider proIect on historical turning points - the Ille- size pictures exhibited In a lower ground gallery of Pepper House are "defaced" Medieval religious art, demonstrating how religious beliefs led to the creation , alteration and th e destruction of images In recent Christian history. There are parallels today as we see the dest ruction of ancient Buddhist sites and a protracted war between factions where religious sites and effigies are th e sites of violence and destruction. A recent act of iconoclasm was the 2001 destruction of the giant Buddhas of Ba,rryan''' by the then Taliban government of Afghanistan. The act generated worldwide protests yet such accounts overlook "the coexistence between the Buddhas and the Muslim population that marveled at them for over a miUennium" before their de st ruction. Even in India sporadic but highly dangerous acts 01 violence and destruction against contested sites believed to be either originally mosques or Hindu temples, revive communal tensions and petty polit ical rivalries.

Upon entenng the exhibition space one . is overwhelmed by the weight of history and rt's destructive legacy whilst also strangely appreciating the decaying beauty In of us. Without knowledge that these objects once occupied places of worship. they could eaSJly appear as modem art, or perhaps our modem world, wrth its declining religious, beliefs renders it so.

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Pro;~d co-support, Th e Embassy of The Ktn gdom of The Netherlands, Mondriaan Fonds and Pho tokina.

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GitanjaliRao 1972 \ India Lives and wor1