THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Keraleeyam has brought everything under one roof in the capital city, including a mini biennale that showcases the works of 43 nationally and internationally renowned Malayali artists.
The contemporary art exhibition, titled ‘Contextual Cosmologies’, hosted at the Fine Arts College here, explores the concept of ‘How we become who we are’. It is curated by Anushka Rajendran, Premjish Achari, and S N Sujith, with direction from Bose Krishnamachari.
It features a diverse range of artworks, including paintings, photographs, videos, sculptures, and installations, offering a glimpse into Kerala’s historical paths and its future perspective. It has become a favourite spot for art lovers in the city.
The impressive artworks such as ‘Between the Shore and several others,’ the Kerala version of the Last Supper by Vivek Vilasini, ‘Colors Speak the Politics,’ ‘The Faces I Have Seen and the Faces I Have Been’ by Haseena Suresh, and ‘Gut’ by Anju Acharya, and many others authentically express artistry and leave the audience in awe.
Bose mentioned that they have requested the government for a 60-day exhibition. Typically, exhibitions like ‘Contextual Cosmologies,’ held in museums and galleries, span a minimum of three months due to their rich and diverse content.
The organisers of the event said that the space created for the art exhibition could be used to hold international exhibitions in the future. Bose stated, “I used to visit these institutions when they held their annual shows. Otherwise, they were not very active, as larger exhibitions were infrequent. Now it is refurbished to an international quality exhibition space”.
He also added, “We can proudly say that now it is the largest contemporary gallery in Kerala. And I think this model should be expanded to other institutions. We have 3-4 other Fine Arts colleges. The important aspect I felt is that students get more opportunities to see the artists and have fruitful conversations with them. This greatly helps in building their confidence.
The city should decide to invite the outside world to gallery spaces like this. We should also start thinking about what conversations and programmes can be held here. I am extremely happy that I was able to refurbish the venue within a few weeks and contribute to Keraleeyam.” The show might conclude on Tuesday. The organisers have requested for an extension
What it means
Kerala is a state known for acceptance, accepting other cultures, and other human thinking, said Bose. “The growth of Kerala is really interesting. From the nationalistic period, many revolutions have taken place here, and all these developments are deeply rooted in the core of humanity. In Kerala, people have consistently placed a high value on this aspect above all else. That’s the reason why we chose this name,” he explained.