KOCHI: Students’ Biennale (SB) dispels the notion that Biennales are elitist spaces and reflects the inclusive vision of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF).The observation came from artist Vivan Sundaram, while he was inaugurating the second edition of SB here on Tuesday.
“SB creates a point of connect to the world of high art from the ground up and fills the vacuum most art students find themselves in after graduation,” he stated.
SB is KBF’s flagship art education effort run in collaboration with the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) and the Foundation for Indian Art and Education (FIAE) and supported by Tata Trusts. Led by 15 emerging curators, the year-long initiative reached out to 55 art schools across Indian and will feature the creation of 465 art students in an exhibition, which will run parallel to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) till March 29 next year. The exhibition is presented across seven venues of the historic Mattancherry - Jew Town area of Fort Kochi, namely M K Trades, Kotachery Brothers and Company, Arjuna Art Gallery, Heritage Arts, Mattancherry Temple Property, Mohammed Ali Warehouse and Fadi Hall.
Senior Programme Manager, Tata Trusts, Deepika Sorabjee, KBF President Bose Krishnamachari, Secretary Riyas Komu and CEO Manju Sara Rajan also attended the SB inaugural event.
Complimenting curators for their exceptional efforts to put up the exhibition, Komu said KMB 2016 would give SB the perfect showcase.
“Engaging with the larger Biennale will allow participants to channel the creative energies gathered here into the Indian art education system and move beyond the constraints imposed by traditional art education in India,” he asserted.