KOCHI: The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, being held after a four-year Covid-induced gap, is all set to enthral art lovers and tourists from Monday. The fifth edition of the mega art event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 6pm at the Fort Kochi Parade Ground. However, the incessant rain might take the fun out of the programmes scheduled for the opening day.
The four-month-long fiesta that celebrates the contemporary art scene across the globe by exhibiting artworks of both Indian and International maestros is being curated by Shubigi Rao. Titled ‘In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire’, the amalgam of cosmopolitan art and culture will feature 200 major creative projects of 90 artists from different countries this time and will be exhibited at 14 venues till April 10.
The Students’ Biennale, encouraging young talents, and the Art By Children, aimed at reaching out to school students, will run parallel to the main event. Various cultural programmes too are included. The fourth edition in 2018 saw over six lakh art enthusiasts from across the world calling in at one of the top international art destinations.
This time over, the organisers are expecting a footfall of around ten lakh. The famed art festival not only enables Kochi to grow into the global tourism map but is also touted as the catalyst behind the state’s emerging tourism sector.