Kochi-Muziris Biennale
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is an artistic experience taking place every two years in Fort Kochi aiming to introduce contemporary global visual art theory and practice to India, while also invoking the latent cosmopolitan spirit of the modern metropolis of Kochi and its mythical past, Muziris. The Biennale seeks to create a platform that showcases and debates new Indian and international aesthetics and experiences, as well as to enable a dialogue among artists, curators, opinion leaders, and the public.
Kochi is a city in India where pre-colonial traditions of cultural pluralism continue to flourish, predating post-Enlightenment ideas of multiculturalism and globalization. These traditions can be traced back to Muziris, an ancient city buried under layers of mud and mythology after a massive flood in the 14th century, currently under excavation. The Biennale maintains that is necessary to explore and retrieve memories of this past and our present in the current global context to posit alternatives to political and cultural discourses emanating from the specific histories of India, Europe, and America.
The Biennale seeks to establish itself as a center for artistic engagement in India by drawing from the rich tradition of public action and engagement in the state of Kerala. It also seeks to reflect the new confidence of Indian people, now comprising the world’s most populous country, as they build a society that aims to be liberal, inclusive, egalitarian, and democratic.
