KOCHI: The Kochi-Muziris Biennale on Monday promised to bring forth necessary “institutional reforms” with “expert feedback and plans,” a day after an open letter signed by over 50 invited global artists calling for an overhaul of the Biennale became public.
“The Board of Trustees has decided to take a hard look at these issues (raised by the invited artists) during the first quarter of 2023, and plan to bring forth necessary institutional reforms with expert feedback and plans so that these issues don’t repeat,” said a statement issued by Bose Krishnamachari, president of KMB, on behalf of the managing committee of the board of trustees of KMB.
In an open letter, 53 invited artists of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale expressed their “concern and shock” at the way the Biennale has unfolded this year and emphasized the need to “urgently overhaul the management for its survival”. The letter, which was published in e-flux.com, a reputed Brooklyn, New York-based platform of artists, also called for a complete reform of the Biennale’s conduct, and the current team in charge.
On the serious shortfalls pointed out by the artists, the Biennale statement said: “We take full accountability and responsibility for operational failures, lack of interpersonal communications leaving behind an avoidable sense of neglect.
As an artist-led and run biennale, we realize that we have disappointed the very core of our perspectives and ambition - the artists - and we outright acknowledge the fair criticism, positions and feedback offered by the artists, stakeholders, supporters and our own teams.” Stating that the artists’ statement was a “valuable input”, Biennale said that the results of its review would also be put in the public domain with resolutions mentioned.