Curator Anita Dube shares her vision for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale at the launch of the Shalini Passi Art Foundation
Art collector and patron Shalini Passi hosted a joint event with the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) at her home in New Delhi. In the company of artists, gallerists, foreign dignitaries, and other avid supporters of the arts, Passi launched her new initiative — the Shalini Passi Art Foundation.
The Foundation’s curator, Dr Arshiya Lokhandwala (PhD, Cornell University) described the initiative as showing a commitment to advocating a new aesthetic language within the Indian avant-garde, which collapses the hierarchical distinctions between art, architecture, craft, design, and fashion.
With the objective of broadening access to the arts, the Foundation also announced that it has established an associated arts blog, MASH (My Art Shalini), which features articles on art, architecture, craft, design, and fashion; highlights emerging talent in these disciplines; and engages in behind-the-scenes studio interviews with artists of the moment. The Foundation will pioneer new initiatives and encourage experimental new practices in the arts — including the launch of a new award for New Media Art, in collaboration with FICA (Foundation for India Contemporary Art) — in addition to its ongoing support of contemporary art foundations and significant cultural events.
As a patron of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, Passi provided a platform for prominent members of the organisation, including trustees and the curator, to share their vision for the Biennale, which will open on December 12, along with the Foundation's plans for aiding relief funds after the recent disastrous floods in Kerala.
Curator for the fourth edition of the ‘People’s Biennale’, artist Anita Dube presented her approach to this large-scale project, as well as an insight into the process of making such an event materialise. Entitled Possibilities for a Non-Alienated Life, Dube's Biennale asks how we can come together in times of political difference and violence to find alternative ways of living.
Commenting on the occasion, Passi said, “I will be able to play a significant role in developing the much-needed ecosystem for arts and support, and a new generation of artists and cultural practitioners, not only in the arts but design, architecture, crafts, and fashion. The MASH FICA New Media award further supports the development of path-breaking new media projects. I am excited and look forward to the launch that commemorates a new beginning for me. “
“My earliest intuitive vision for this edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale to explore the possibilities for a non-alienated life has remained with me. The need to listen, think and learn with each other, particularly voices from the margins—of women, of the queer community, the oppressed castes, the whispers and signs of nature—with a spirit of freedom and comradeship is vital. In both the exhibition and the carefully designed interactive spaces, I hope the incredible range of exhibiting artists and visitors will become active participants and co-producers of the Biennale as a shared knowledge laboratory,” added Dube.
“After the floods that devastated much of the state, it has been deeply moving to see the people of Kerala, but also the country, come together and act. Sharing and making of art is an essential part of rebuilding and healing, and we hope Kochi Biennale Foundation can aid in that effort in Kerala. This edition promises to be the most socially and politically significant yet. We are so happy to share a glimpse of that project with you today, and convey the potential for change that art can hold,” added Bose Krishnamachari, President, Kochi Biennale Foundation.