KOCHI: The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) on Wednesday donated Rs 3 crore it collected from the proceeds from an art auction conducted in January to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. The amount was handed over to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram by a KBF delegation led by foundation president Bose Krishnamachari.
The Chief Minister hailed the KBF’s endeavour as a sign of its social commitment, showing the artists’ care and concern for their fellow beings. “It is a matter of pride that the artist community has stood with the state in relief and recovery efforts,” calling for further cooperation from the cultural world towards the government’s Rebuild Kerala mission.
The January 18 auction in Kochi had seen the participation of no less than 40 artists from India and abroad, contributing their works to the event titled ‘Art Rises for Kerala’. Among them were Gulammohammed Sheikh, Anish Kapoor, Dayanita Singh, Francesco Clemente, Anju Dodiya and K M Madhusudhanan.
“It is a small contribution,” Krishnamachari said, after handing over the cheque. “But it represents the coming together of the artist community for Kerala after the disastrous floods.”The auction, conducted by Mumbai-based Saffronart and the KBF, was held midway the fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. A public exhibition of the artworks was organised near the key biennale venue ahead of the auction.
KBF secretary Sunil V and treasurer Bonny Thomas were part of the foundation’s team that handed over the cheque to the Chief Minister in the presence of state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran.