‘Biennale has Reduced the Gap Between Common Public and Contemporary Art’: Atul Dodiya

KOCHI:
Lauding the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) for its connect with connoisseur and casual visitor alike, celebrated artist Atul Dodiya observed that, over its three editions, India’s only Biennale has helped develop artistic sensibility among local people.
“There was a gap between common people and contemporary art, but the Biennale has helped in developing understanding and sensibility towards art. The mesmerising aspect of the Biennale is that how local people and laypeople visit this event without any inhibitions,” said Dodiya, who was a participating artist in the first edition of the Biennale in 2012.
“For the general public, the works at the Biennale might be a new experience. But I strongly feel that, probably in the next 10 years, people from this part of Kerala are bound to be the most educated as far as contemporary art is concerned, owing to their Biennale exposure,” he added.
Noting that the KMB had attained international recognition in a short span of six years, Dodiya felt that its inclusiveness and diversity have played a pivotal role in growing its reputation and stature.
“Artists worldwide and in India are experimenting with diverse mediums and different materials. To find the changing trends among artistic expressions and bringing the best among them under one roof has made the Biennale a spectacular event of contemporary art,” he said.
Following a visit to Aspinwall House on Wednesday, Dodiya said KMB 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty has managed to merge many art forms together, including literature, sculpture, architecture, video art, sound and the performing arts. Dodiya’s own prodigious body of work ranges from paintings and works on paper to street art and sculptures.
The works he most enjoyed were Austrian artist Martin Wal
de’s thought experiment/installation Chain and Latvian artist Voldemars Johansons’ audio-video installation Thirst.
“Art and art events like this are important as it helps people connect with each other and provides varied perspectives on culture, which is essential in times of insecurity and detachment,” he said.