https://www.instagram.com/p/Bupo2FTFV4V/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=18es8xzu06ard       I have to explain the title a bit. I have been to small photo and cartoon exhibitions but never been to any full fledged ones like this.

   So what is the big deal about this one? According to their official website,

“Kochi Biennale Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust engaged in promoting art & culture and educational activities in India; primary among them the hosting of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, an art exhibition and festival that is the largest of its kind in South Asia.”

It also says “The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to explore the hidden energies latent in India’s past and present artistic traditions and invent a new language of coexistence and cosmopolitanism that celebrates the multiple identities people live with. The dialogue will be with, within, and across identities fostered by language, religion and other ideologies. The Biennale seeks to resist and interrogate representations of cosmopolitanism and modernity that thrive by subsuming differences through co-option and coercion.”

    That is it. It is largest in South Asia and also longest running in India. This is its 4th edition running from 12.12.2018 to 29.03.2019.

   It has multiple venues sprawled across Cochin (mostly Fort Kochi)

   Your journey starts from Aspinwall House where you buy entrance tickets. Regular tickets are 100 each. Most of the other locations are nearby.

My take:

   I am shameless enough to say that I am kinda ‘art illiterate’. I donno the alphabet. I only understand and can go to the depths of literature but any other form is actually alien to me. So, mostly I tried and failed to understand many things. I could appreciate the effort though. There are few super photogenic locations which I could not miss. But overall, this experience kinda opened my eyes to a whole new world which I never knew existed.

Few tips

1. Start early in the morning to avoid getting succumbed to scorching Kochi heat.
2. Have tons of sunscreen with you.
3. Wear comfortable shoes and footwear, you need to walk a lot.
4. Drink plenty of fluids.
5. There are free rides available for elderly, disabled and pregnant people. Ask around for them.
6. Few venues also are what you call as ‘art cafe’s. Plan your lunch there.
7. Finally, be open minded: There are many amazing art pieces. 

This is all I have to tell for now.

Follow me on Instagram for more posts.