KOCHI:
Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) president Bose Krishnamachari has been made a director on the board of the global body of organisers of such art festivals, it was announced today.
The International Biennale Association (IBA) took Krishnamachari, 55, on its board of directors, the Sharjah-headquartered establishment’s president Hoor al Qasimi said in Kochi after a general assembly of the IBA.
Krishnamachari’s representation comes in the wake of his 2010-founded Foundation having met the requisite qualification of completing three Biennales. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), currently on from December 12, is the fourth edition of the festival that debuted in 2012. In six years, it has become the subcontinent’s biggest biennale, this time featuring 94 artist projects in 10 venues of the city.
Hoor al Qasimi, who also heads the Sharjah Art Foundation that holds the Biennale in the Arab emirate, was present at a public conference of the IBA on Monday at Cabral Yard, a key KMB venue in Fort Kochi. Mumbaikar Krishnamachari, a native of Kerala and a co-curator of the first KMB, said it was an honour to be with the board of directors of the IBA. “It is a recognition of the work we at the Foundation have done in the field of art since our inception,” he added.
At the public conference, titled ‘Shifting Borders: Biennials in Transforming Landscapes’ and co-hosted by the KBF, Yuko Hasegawa, Chief Curator of Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art delivered the keynote address, sharing her experiences and work with numerous biennials.
This was followed by presentations by members of the 2012-formed IBA. The talkers included representatives from Aichi Triennale, Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Biennale of Sydney, Land Art Mongolia, Manifesta, Media Arts Biennial Chile, Rencontres de Bamako and the Atlantic Project. The IBA also released the inaugural issue of its journal, titled Pass. This annual publication aims to talk about the role of contemporary art biennials around the world.
