Celebs made a beeline for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) venues on Thursday.
Cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Rajiv Menon, who spent nearly two hours at Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi, lauded the Biennale’s artistic quality, inclusiveness and presentation. “It is incredible being here for a second time. Compared to last time, there is a huge improvement in the quality of exhibition and the way of presentation,” said Mr. Menon, director of films such as Minsara Kanavu and Kandukondain Kandukondain .
Musician Talvin Singh likened the Biennale to the ‘blooming of a grand flower’ on the canvas of global art. “The manner in which the artistic ideas have been lined up and packaged has been striking,” said the U.K.-born composer-producer tracing her ancestry to Punjab.
The fabulous locale of the Biennale swept Bharatanatyam dancer Geeta Chandran off her feet. “For a classical dancer, sculpture is a vital source of inspiration. I got a lot of it here,’’ she said. “I especially liked the installation of (U.K.-born, Delhi-based) Bharti Kher.” Her husband, Rajiv Chandran, National Information Officer at the United Nations, referred to the installations by Charles and Ray Eames, and said how KMB brought together art and technology was indeed interesting. “This Biennale is a representation of how Indians see and appreciate art and artists. It is a privilege for both of us to be here in the second edition of Biennale,” he added.
Directors Abrid Shine and Martin Prakkat, and actor Aparna Gopinath also came by to breathe in art.
Later in the day, Aspinwall House hosted a seminar by Chicago-based curator Tricia Van Eck on ‘Cross Pollination: How to Connect Art, Food, and Nature’. Artists Akshay Rathore and Arunkummar HG, besides a local organic farmer joined the main speaker. The Artists’ Cinema session, curated by Berlin-based Natasha Ginwala, featured ‘Fish Plane, Heart clock’ directed by Arvo Leo, ‘A fire in my Belly’ by David Wojnarowicz, ‘ Resurrections’ by Alexander Navratil and ‘Workers leaving the factory’ by Harun Farocki.
