Kochi, March 11 (IANS) The Kochi Muziris Biennale is the biennale of the masses and has been received whole-heartedly by the common man, said Apinan Poshyananda, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Thailand, and the CEO-cum-Director of Bangkok Biennale.
Apinan, an art critic considered one of the foremost curators in Asia and listed among the Future’s list of most influential persons in Thailand, examined in detail the various artworks on display at different venues of the Kochi Biennale.
Incidentally, this was Apinan’s first visit to the Biennale which is into its fifth edition that ends next month.
“The city of Kochi and her people play an important role in making the Biennale special. I happened to come across many of them while moving from one venue to the other. The energy and excitement are palpable. In other places, Biennale often feels secluded. Viewers are important. It is the participation of the people that decides the success of a Biennale. In that regard, Kochi Biennale is vastly superior. In the third world, there is no other Biennale that comes close to the Kochi Biennale,” said Apinan and added that other biennale events have much to learn from the Kochi Biennale.
“The Biennale’s layout and presentation are beautiful. The Bangkok Biennale is in its infancy. It is only three editions old. There is much to learn for Bangkok from the Kochi Biennale. Many presentations at the Kochi Biennale are mesmerising. There are some powerful creations too on display. Many have multiple layers to them. This is a new experience,” he said.
“There is no revolting background or bias or sentiments attached to the Biennale here, unlike many other places. Here, people are everything. The corrupt influence of position or power does not reach here. The contribution of Biennale to economic well-being and tourism growth is beyond analytics. The Biennale is giving an economic push not just to Kerala, but to the country as a whole. The Kochi Biennale has played a key role in shaping a sustainable art market in the country,” said Thailand’s popular art loving top official.
–IANS
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