Kochi has attracted various sailors in the past the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Along with the rulers of erstwhile Kerala These foreigners also left their prints in the state. Muziris, which was a mythical ancient city now under the water was the centre of this trading port, also, a hub where even juice came to sell their wares. Today, very many centuries later, Kochi pays ode to this mythical city of Muziris, while attaching the name to its own for the purpose of the largest art Biennale that is held in India. Biennales are important centres of art as artists are invited to display the collection that they are working on or having in their mind, but a collection that is not ready for sale. And this art whether, performance, visual or aural is put up for sure by a curator of the event aligned with the theme of the year. The Biennale that runs between the months of December to the following March, sets its location alive, abuzz with a plethora of activities and intellectuals. and when one arrives at this venue overlapping with the Christmas season, it is literally a riot. Cause after all Kochi fondly called Cochin is the Christmas capital of India. And during this season, all roads lead to Cochin or very specifically to Fort Kochi!
The city that is also a bunch of islands together has the venues of the Kochi Biennale sprung across three different islands. Actually, it is two islands and one mainland that is Ernakulam. The islands are connected by ferries, bridges and more recently the swanky water metro. And as one traipses across the art venues of the Biennale one is treated to the architecture of the land that was built over three centuries ago. Even the more recent buildings choose to vibe with the tribe of Fort Kochi! Mainland Ernakulam is a different story altogether, much like any other Indian city, a smaller one though compared to the bustling metropolises of our time. Dotted with restaurants, hotels, villas and museums the urban scape of Fort Kochi seems to be paused in time, the cobblestone sidewalks and the stone slab roads tell a story on their own of a time of the past. With restaurants doling out cuisines of the world, the Kerala cuisines are just about punctuations in the wide array of offerings. A highly Instagrammable city, the Biennale and its host are somewhere we can find dozens of influencers making a beeline for.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the architecture of Kochi, the perfect amalgamation of Dutch, Portuguese and British architecture styles has lent it a unique style, one that is its own and one that is charming to say the least. The deep sloped roofs and the thick white walls are shelter nonetheless yet so soft and pleasing to the eye amidst the blue December skies and the green foliage as a frame. The simple verandahs and ceiling fans the best hope for the tropical heat, enough to provide comfort in the tropics, truly an ingenious stroke of design in the equatorial zones. The Kochi Biennale is an expo for contemporary art, and is important in the sense that it is in Biennales that artists truly explore the creation of art, without the perils of cost and efficacies, that way keeping the sense of wonder intact. Will the art sell is not the question, how does the art make one feel is the matter in question. Beautifully arranged in one of India’s most lovable cities, the Biennale has a grand list of sponsors including the Tata Trusts, Jindals, Nadars, and many more, the prominent venues of the city turns host too, like the Cochin Club, the Durbar Hall, Anand Warehouse and even the Island Warehouse in Willingdon, not to forget the art galleries in the city too. While the Biennale is not only about visual art, it encompasses all forms of art including Performance, spatial sometimes using the subject themselves to be a part of the scheme. Keenly retrofitting several derelict structures for the purpose like the Pepper House, the city and the volunteers at the Biennale work tirelessly to make this a seamless affair.
A myriad of art is what defined this Kochi-Muziris Biennale of 2025. While tapestries ruled the roost with work of Sayan Chandra and Ms Correa in the difference of the bright coloured and the timeless black and white respectively, the large-scale installation of the 108 monks chanting on a large visual scale was stunning to watch and imbibe, as the chants washed over each one, similar gripping the five senses is the installation of the engraved wood and a terracotta fountain with salt in the room to bring us back to the present. The setup included a sitout sheltered by woven bamboo and insitu seating that allows one to sit back in a perfectly anthropometrically aligned back-rest to look out into the vast Arabian sea and get a whiff of the salty air, the sea breeze and the visually stunning ships leave the harbour, the ship blowing itst horn is another delight to the senses, with the sense of hearing not causing one to jump out of their skins as all horns tend to do but to enjoy the feel of the ocean. Some art terrifies, some art uplifts, some art dazzles and other art glorifies, but most importantly all art is a love affair, making one feel more and think a little different. While the numbers are left to the wind, the explorations on display are plenty, curating them an even finer effort. While the artist’s guild presented their work with dishevelled toys lying merry and the Art By Children volunteered goaded us to paint with clay, well yes with the right consistency, it is possible and truly delightful, art can be made with anything. But that is truly not the point, the importance of a Biennale is if it provided you a sense of wonder, and in that the Kochi-Muziris 2025 wins.
Vedasri Siddamsetty 