THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) has become a major driver of art and culture in India and bolstered Kochi's global reputation as a vibrant place for cultural pluralism, says a report.
The biennial event, which began in 2012, has built infrastructure for culture, triggered economic spin-offs in the tourism sector and spawned jobs, according to the report by professional services firm KPMG.
The report is about the 108-day-long third edition of KMB, organised during the period December 2016-March 2017, a statement here said.
The 44-page report was prepared based on a comprehensive survey of visitors, artists, volunteers, business owners, vendors and local residents, it said.
"Through the celebration of international contemporary art, KMB invokes the historic cosmopolitan legacy of the modern metropolis of Kochi and its legendary predecessor, the ancient seaport of Muziris," the findings said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who formally released the report yesterday here, has described KMB as "The gateway between Kerala and the world, with diverse expressions of international art and culture moving freely and being brought together under one umbrella."
Finance Minister Dr TM Thomas Isaac and Tourism Minister Shri Kadakampally Surendran were also present at the function.
As knowledge partners, KPMG in India reviewed the economic contribution of the arts and culture in Kochi along with the impact of investment that the state government provided in support of arts and cultural facilities during the three months that the event was underway.
Over three editions, KMB has established itself as one of the most important art exhibitions in the world, the report said adding that Aspinwall House, the mother venue, has become synonymous with Kochi Biennale, just as the Giardini and the Arsenale are with the Venice Biennale.
In particular, Biennale 2016, which featured 97 artists from 31 countries, gave an impetus to tourism, the report noted.
"KMB 2016 can be termed as a crowd puller with nearly 600,000 visitors arriving for the event, and around 62 per cent of the international tourists were visiting Kerala for the first time," it said.
"The biennale has truly become a transformative event, impacting the way people think about art, culture and ideas," President of Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), Bose Krishnamachari said.
"By showcasing the best of contemporary art, it has provided a unique content to the city of Kochi that thrives on its historic pluralistic traditions," he said.
KBF Secretary Riyas Komu said the biennale has become a brilliant signpost of the contemporary international art and a robust affirmation of the creativity of local talents.
KPMG in India Chairman and CEO Arun Kumar said, "It is exciting to see how the biennale has rapidly become one of the leading global festivals of contemporary art along the lines of its European counterpart, the Venice Biennale." The event also garnered huge support on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Within the first ten weeks of the first edition of KMB, it gained 12.3 million hits on Facebook and has 90,274 followers as on 18 May 2017 on this social media site, the report added.