Thiruvananthapuram:
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is India's first biennale for contemporary art, being held in Kochi, Kerala. The first edition took place from December 2012- March 2013, and the second edition is being held from 12 December 2014 to 12 March 2014.
The exhibition will be set in spaces across Kochi, the Muziris region and surrounding islands. There will be shows in existing galleries and halls, and site-specific installations in public spaces, heritage buildings and disused structures. Indian and international artists will exhibit artworks across a variety of mediums including film, installation, painting, sculpture, new media and performance art. Through the celebration of contemporary art from around the world, The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to invoke the historic cosmopolitan legacy of the modern metropolis of Kochi, and its mythical predecessor, the ancient port of Muziris. Alongside the exhibition the Biennale will offer a rich programme of talks, seminars, screenings, music, workshops and educational activities for school children and students of all ages.
As part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014, the British Council is pleased to support the visits of four artists from the UK – Hew Locke, Mark Wallinger, Martin Creed and Mona Hatoum.
Rob Lynes, Director, British Council India said,”Kochi-Muziris Biennale is a direct connect to the visual arts strand of British Council’s Arts programme which is part of the Re-imagine Arts initiative. The biennale associates the UK’s visual arts sector with professionals in India. Our programme reflects the wide range of disciplines practised to a world class standard by British artists and includes sculpture, painting, photography, video, drawings and prints. We look forward to a successful opening of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014 and hope to bring more UK artists to India over the next few years.”
The British Council has a collection of around 8500 works of British art covering all aspects of British art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
UK artists at Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014
Mona Hatoum
Born in 1952 in Beirut, Lebanon. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany, and London, UK.
Undercurrent 2004, Venue: Aspinwall House
Routes AP 2003, Venue: Durbar Hall
Hew Locke
Born in 1959 in Edinburgh, UK. Lives and works in London, UK.
Site-specific work (Sea Power being installed at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Fort Kochi, Kerala, India)
Venue: Aspinwall House
Martin Creed
Born in 1968 in Wakefield, UK. Lives and works in London, UK.
Work No. 1941: the whole world + the work = the whole world 2014
Venue: Durbar Hall
Mark Wallinger
Born in 1959 in Chigwell, UK. Lives and works in London, UK.
Construction Site 2011, Venue: CSI Bungalow
Artists’ biographies
Hew Locke
Locke was born in Edinburgh, UK, in 1959; lived from 1966 to 1980 in Georgetown, Guyana; and is currently based in London. He obtained a B.A. Fine Art in Falmouth (1988) and an M.A. Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London (1994). In 2000 he won both a Paul Hamlyn Award and an East International Award.
His work is represented in many collections including The Government Art Collection, The Pérez Art Museum Miami, The Tate Gallery collection, The Arts Council of England collection, The Collection of Eileen and Peter Norton, Santa Monica, The Brooklyn Museum collection, New York, The Arnold Lehman collection, The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City collection, The RSID Museum, Rhode Island, The New Art Gallery Walsall, The Victoria & Albert Museum Drawing Collection, London, The British Museum, London and The Henry Moore Institute, Leeds.
For more information visit http://www.hewlocke.net/Homepage2ndsite.html
About Re-Imagine
Re-Imagine Arts is a five-year initiative that was launched in 2013 to develop stronger cultural ties between India and the UK with an objective of showcasing, providing Arts education, enhancing skills development, fostering research and insight and bringing about creative collaborations in various art forms. The initiative covers all the art forms including music, dance, theatre, film, literature, design and the visual arts.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the arts, education, science, sport and governance and last year we reached over 128 million people.
The British Council is recognised across India for its network of 9 libraries and cultural centres. We offer a range of specialised projects in arts, education, exams, English language and society to audiences across India and more than 100,000 members. We also provide access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers, offer UK qualifications in India and enable opportunities to study in the UK.