When a minister asked the Borivali Gang — Malayali artists who have made Mumbai their adopted home — what they could do for their home state, Riyas Komu and Bose Krishnamachari came up with the idea of an Indian biennale based in Kochi.
The minister promised state funds and a free hand and the two artists, who are well connected with international art circles, went ahead with their ambitious plan, calling it the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012.
On 12-12-12, their dream was realised as India’s first biennale was thrown open to the public in Kochi and its outskirts. “We are doing this against all odds,” says Riyas, referring to the opposition and charges of corruption raised by a section of artists and culture vultures in Kerala. A bitter campaign led to the state government not only suspending its plan to release funds other than the `5 crore released by the previous government, but also to order a vigilance inquiry into how the money had been spent.
“Leave alone siphoning off funds, we have been putting our own money to keep the show going,” says Bose Krishnamachari, international painter and curator. “We suspended our own art practice,” points out Riyas, who moved to Kochi along with his family.
Lack of government funds did not deter them. They managed to convince the government to provide passive support by allowing them to use the Durbar Hall, a major gallery, to host some of the events while DLF permitted them to use its property in whichever way they wanted and corporates like BMW chipped in with sponsorship and an airline offered free tickets for participants.
For the two artists, who had reached Mumbai penniless two decades ago, life had come full circle when they gave their state and their country its first biennale. “We know that we are sowing the seeds in a fertile land,” says Riyas, referring to the heritage and history of Kochi and the mythical port of Muziris, which has inspired many of the participating artists to come up with new works. And the artists, who come from lands as diverse as Argentina and Afghanistan to China and Portugal, can’t agree more with him.