Bhubaneswar, Oct 26 : With the theme of 'Melange', the second edition of Odisha Biennale 2015 began on Monday at the National Institute of Fashion Technology here.
The Odisha Biennale, an international festival of art and cross-cultural exchanges, will witness an amalgamation of diversified cultures from across borders.
The week-long event, organised by Bhubaneswar-based cultural organisation Mudra Foundation and MOPA group, would bring together tribal, folk, classical and contemporary art forms and artists from all over the world under one roof to encourage innovative and creative expression.
The Swiss ambassador and his wife inaugurated the Odisha Biennale, said Japanese Odissi and contemporary dancer Masako Ono, who is also an organiser of the event.
Masako said the event would serve as a bridge across cultures and promote cultural diversity through innovation, creativity and expression.
Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, the legendary classical flutist, performed on the inaugural evening.
The entire week will see 'Butoh' dance workshop and lecture by Natsu Nakajima. 'Butoh' is a Japanese conceptual dance form. An artist invokes imagery through physical depictions and thus expresses himself/herself.
Besides 'Butoh' dance, 3D Mapping workshop by ANTYMARK, 'Baul' music performance by Laxman Das Baul, a seminar on 'Self-reflective ethnographic writing' by Yuki Imoto, music and visual improvisation recital by Tomas Tello and Kunihiko Matsuo and a lot of other performances are a part of the programme.
As many as 55 globally acclaimed artistes will participate in the biennale and conduct workshops for the development of culture and arts among artists and art lovers in Odisha, said Masako.
The Odisha Biennale started in 2013.
