ANNUAL REPORT 2015-16 2 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 3

ANNUAL REPORT 2015-16 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016 Gigi Scaria’s Chronicles of the Shores Foretold at Pepper House, Fort Kochi PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

On behalf of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, I have the KMB is a project in appreciation of, and education about, honour to present the annual report of the Foundation for artistic expression and its relationship with society. Whorled the year 2014-2015. The audited balance sheet of the Explorations, the central exhibition, was accompanied by Foundation for the year 2014-15 is an integral part of this a host of innovative programmes under the direction of the report. co-founder and Director of Programmes of KMB, Riyas Komu. These programmes were not only designed to The year under report has been a Biennale year for the explore the operational and intellectual dimensions of the Foundation. Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) was proud art-world, but also to directly engage people through a wide to host the second edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale range of cultural activities. And as we (KMB) under the curatorship of Jitish Kallat. KBF’s mis- look back sion is to draw from the rich tradition of public action and And as we look back and reflect on the journey, we realise and reflect engagement in Kerala, and build a new aesthetic that that we could not have achieved this exhibition without the on the jour- integrates both the past and the present. unyielding support of our sponsors and well-wishers. But most importantly, it is hard to imagine this exhibition open- ney, we We invited Jitish to envisage a Biennale that responds ing on time and running successfully for 108 days without realise that to the environment that hosts it. Thus was born Whorled the support and dedication of a young team who collectively we could Explorations, a non-linear and layered meditation on stood up against all odds and relied on their ingenuity to not have the world we inhabit today. In its second edition, KMB make KMB 2014 the exploration and the exhibition that it achieved this maintained its unique character by choosing an artist as was. exhibition the curator, continuing its tradition as an artist-initiated without the project. Upon the successful completion of the second edition of unyielding the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the Foundation has initiated Getting here has been anything but easy. For the first support of the work for opening the third edition of the Biennale as edition of the Biennale, the Kerala government financed our spon- per schedule at Kochi. The Foundation is confident that the it to the tune of Rs 9 crore. For the second edition, sors and activities of the Biennale Foundation will continue to receive similar substantial support was promised and Rs 3 crore well-wishers. generous support from the government, artists, art lovers, has already been released. The Foundation has been public and private corporations and foundations and the under severe financial stress as further Kerala govern- public in general to make it a people’s Biennale. ment support was delayed. However, we are confident that the promised government support will be received in due course. Projects of the scale and ambition of the Bose Krishnamachari Biennale cannot be sustained without the support of the President, Kochi Biennale Foundation and government. Biennale Director, Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014

We consider the Biennale as the first step in engaging with people and initiating them into contemporary art. 08 Kochi Biennale Foundation 26 Children’s Biennale 09 Mission Statement 28 Art Workshops for Students 10 Board of Trustees 30 Artists’ Cinema 11 Apex Advisory Council 32 Cultural Programmes 11 Artistic Advisory Committee of KMB 2014 32 Art and Medicine 11 Honourary Advisors 36 Pepper House Residency 11 Goodwill Ambassadors 38 Post-Graduate Residency 11 Senior Management 40 Let’s Talk Series\History Now 12 Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 42 Partner Projects 12 Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014 44 Closing Event of KMB 2014 14 Whorled Explorations 46 CSR Support and KBF 16 Artists - KMB 2014 46 Meeting of Board of Trustees 20 Programmes 47 Internal Complaints Committee 22 Student’s Biennale 48 Audit and Accountability 24 Orientation Programme for Young Curators 50 Audited Financial Results for the Year 2014-15 25 Visits and Residency for College Students 64 Our Supporters

Front cover: Julian Charrière’s We Are All Astronauts (2013) at Durbar Hall 8 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 9

MISSION STATEMENT

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to invoke the latent cosmopolitan spirit of the modern metropolis of Kochi and its mythical past, Muziris, and create a platform that will introduce Kochi contemporary international visual art theory and practice to India, showcase and debate new Indian and international aesthetics and art experiences and enable a dialogue among artists, curators, and the public. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to create a new language of cosmopolitanism and moder- nity that is rooted in the lived and living experience of this old trading port, which, for more Biennale than six centuries, has been a crucible of numerous communal identities. Kochi is among the few cities in India where pre-colonial traditions of cultural pluralism continue to flourish. These traditions pre-date the post-Enlightenment ideas of cultural pluralism, globalisation and mul- ticulturalism. They can be traced to Muziris, the ancient city that was buried under layers of Foundation mud and mythology after a massive flood in the 14 th century. The site was recently identified and is currently under excavation. It is necessary to explore and, when necessary, retrieve The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) is a non-profit charitable trust engaged in promoting memories of this past, and its present, in the current global context to posit alternatives to art & culture and educational activities in India; primary amongst them the hosting of the political and cultural discourses emanating from the specific histories of Europe and America. Kochi-Muziris Biennale. KBF works around the year to promote national consensus on A dialogue for a new aesthetics and politics rooted in the Indian experience, but receptive to investment in contemporary art infrastructure and to broaden public access to art across the winds blowing in from other worlds, is possible. India.The Foundation was registered on 4-8-2010 under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to establish itself as a centre for artistic engagement in India by drawing from the rich tradition of public action and public engagement in Kerala, The Kochi Biennale Foundation seeks: where Kochi is located. The emergence of Kerala as a distinct political and social project a. To promote art, culture and educational activities in India; primary amongst them the with lessons for many developing societies owes also to aesthetic interventions that have hosting of Kochi-Muziris Biennale on biennial basis subverted notions of social and cultural hierarchies. These interventions are immanent in the b. To organise national and international art and culture exhibitions in India numerous genres and practices of our rich tradition of arts. In a world of competing power structures, it is necessary to balance the interests and independence of artists, art institutions, c. To promote and support traditional art forms and the public. d. To promote art education through schools and colleges e. To promote preservation of heritage properties and buildings The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to reflect the new confidence of Indian people who are f. To use art for promotion of national and international brotherhood and co-operation slowly, but surely, building a new society that aims to be liberal, inclusive, egalitarian and democratic. The time has come to tell the story of cultural practices that are distinct to the g. To promote art for comfort and solace of the public in general and the disadvantaged in Indian people and local traditions, practices and discourses that are shaping the idea of India. particular These share a lot with the artistic visions emerging from India’s neighbourhood. The Biennale h. To conduct national and international seminars also seeks to project the new energy of artistic practices in the subcontinent. 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. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to be a project in appreciation of, and education about, ar- tistic expression and its relationship with society. It seeks to be a new space and a fresh voice that protects and projects the autonomy of the artist and her pursuit to constantly reinvent the world we live in. 10 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 11

Board of Trustees Apex Advisory Council 1. K V Thomas, Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Government of India 2. M A Baby, Member of Legislative Assembly, Former Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala 3. T K A Nair, Former Advisor to the Prime Minister of India

Artistic Advisory Committee of Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014 1. Balan Nambiar, Artist 2. Geeta Kapur, Art Historian Bose Krishnamachari Riyas Komu Bonny Thomas President Secretary Treasurer 3. Tasneem Mehta, Honourary Director, Bhau Daji Lad Museum Curator, Artist Curator, Artist Writer, Cartoonist 4. Feroze Gujral, Founder, Gujral Foundation 5. Sheela Gowda, Artist 6. Abhay Maskara, Curator, Gallerist 7. Bose Krishnamachari, President, Kochi Biennale Foundation 8. Riyas Komu, Secretary, Kochi Biennale Foundation

Honourary Advisors 1. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Auteur 2. Anish Kapoor, Artist Sunil V P K H Tharakan Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, 3. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Former Minister of State for HRD, Joint Secretary (Former) Secretary (R), Honourary Director, Dr. Bhau Government of India Executive Creative Direc- Cabinet Secretariat, Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai tor, – Wieden+Kennedy, Government of India Motherland Magazine, Goodwill Ambassadors IndiaTube 1. Amol Palekar, Director, Actor 2. PT Usha, Athlete

Senior Management of Kochi Biennale Foundation 1. Bose Krishnamachari, Biennale Director 2. Riyas Komu, Director of Programmes 3. Bonny Thomas, Research Co-ordinator 4. Dr. Uday Balakrishnan, Principal Advisor K Subhas Chandran Jose Dominic Lizzie Jacob, 5. PM Sirajuddin, Chief Operating Officer (Former) Director (Pro- Managing Director, Former Chief Secretary, 6. NP Kurian, General Manager grammes), National Centre CGH Earth Government of Kerala of Performing Arts, Mumbai 7. Treessa Jaifer, Chief of Finance 12 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 13 Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012

Kochi-Muziris Biennale is an international exhibition of digms of cultural practices. contemporary art hosted in the city of Kochi, India. The KMB 2012, which had a Biennale is a platform for new Indian and international footfall of nearly 4,00,000, aesthetics and art experiences. Kochi-Muziris Biennale was embraced by the local also seeks to invoke the historic cosmopolitan legacy of communities and rec- the modern metropolis of Kochi, and its predecessor, the ognised as an exceptional ancient port of Muziris. moment in the exciting journey of an ancient The first edition of KMB, curated by Bose Krishnamach- region. ari and Riyas Komu, drew from the distinctive heritage of Kochi-Muziris to invent and explore alternative para-

Shri Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala declares open the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in the presence of Prof K V Thomas, MP, Bose Krishnamachari, K Babu, Excise Minister, Jitish Kallat, Kochi-Muziris M A Baby, K C Joseph, Culture Minister and Riyas Komu. Biennale 2014 The second edition of the at the crux of the civilisa- Spread across eight venues, the exhibition unfolded Kochi-Muziris Biennale, tional crisis – one that is through a polyphony of artistic forms as varied as the titled Whorled Explora- economical, ideological minimalist poem, sculptural installation, vlog-speech, tions and curated by Jitish and geopolitical. These drawing, painting, video and performance. Starting at Kallat, featured 94 artists complexities give the Aspinwall House, a massive sea-facing colonial era ware- from 30 countries, and Kochi-Muziris Biennale house and trading premise in Fort Kochi, the exhibition opened on December 12, a context and a point of followed a designated course that ends at Durbar Hall, 2014 and ran for 108 days inquiry. It is a quest that a stately gallery space situated across the waters from till March 29, 2015. The brought the world to these Fort Kochi in the city of Ernakulam. The exhibition was second edition of KMB was shores. conceived both as an observation deck to contemplate visited by nearly 5,00,000 our world and as a toolbox for self-reflection. people. Citing historically over- lapping episodes from Kochi’s cosmopolitanism the 14th to 17th century, has been worn by gen- Whorled Explorations drew Jitish Kallat, Curator of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014 erations of Keralites as a upon a wide glossary of badge of honour. It is also signs from Kochi. Dates: 12\12\14 - 29\03\15 Curator and Artistic Director: Jitish Kallat

Venues: DLF-Aspinwall Durbar Hall Pepper House Cabral Yard Kashi Art Gallery David Hall CSI Bungalow Vasco da Gama Square

KOCHI-MUZIRIS BIENNALE 2014 Anish Kapoor’s Descension (2014) at Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi 16 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 17 Artists - KMB 2014 Adrian Paci (Milan, Italy) / Aji V N (Rotterdam, Netherlands) / Akbar Pad- der Poorten (Colombo, Sri Lanka) / Michael Najjar (Berlin, Germany) / amsee (Mumbai, India) / Andrew Ananda Voogel (San Francisco, USA) Michael Stevens (London, UK) / Mithu Sen (New Delhi, India) / Mona / Anish Kapoor (London, UK) / Annie Lai Kuen Wan (Hong Kong) / Aram Hatoum (Berlin, Germany and London, UK) / Muhanned Cader (Colom- Saroyan (Los Angeles, USA) / Arun K S (Vadodara, Gujarat) / Benitha bo, Sri Lanka and London, UK) / N S Harsha (Mysore, India) / Naeem Perciyal (Chennai, India) / Bharti Kher (New Delhi, India) / Mohaiemen (Dhaka, Bangladesh) / Nataraj Sharma (Vadodara, India) / Bijoy Jain (Mumbai, India) / Biju Joze (Bengaluru, India) / Charles and Navin Thomas (Bengaluru, India) / Navjot Altaf (Mumbai, India) / Neha Ray Eames (California, USA) / Chen Chieh-jen (Taipei, Taiwan) / Choksi (Mumbai, India) / Nikhil Chopra (Goa, India ) / Parvathi Nayar Christian Waldvogel (Zurich, Switzerland) / Daniel Boyd (Sydney, Aus- (Chennai, India) / Peter Rösel (Berlin, Germany) / Pors & Rao (Benga- tralia) / David Horvitz (New York, USA) / Dayanita Singh (New Delhi, luru, India) / Prajakta Potnis (Mumbai, India) / Prashant Pandey (Jaipur India) / Dinh Q Lê (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) / Fiona Hall (Adelaide, India ) / Punaloor Rajan (Kozhikode, India) Pushpamala N (Bengaluru, Australia) / Francesco Clemente (Rome, Italy, New York, USA, and India ) / Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (Montreal, Canada and Madrid, Spain) Chennai, India) / Gigi Scaria (New Delhi, India) / Guido van der Werve / Raqs Media Collective (New Delhi, India) / Rivane Neuenschwan- (Amsterdam, Netherlands, Berlin, Germany, and Finland) / der (London, UK) / Ryota Kuwakubo (Tokyo, Japan) / Sachin George Gulammohammed Sheikh (Vadodara, India) / Hamra Abbas (Lahore, Sebastian (New Delhi, India) / Sahej Rahal (Mumbai, India) / Sarnath Pakistan and Boston, USA) / Hans Op de Beeck (Brussels, Belgium) / Banerjee (Berlin, Germany) / Shahpour Pouyan (Tehran, Iran and New Hema Upadhyay (Mumbai, India) / Hew Locke (London, UK) / York, USA) / Shantamani Muddaiah (Bengaluru, India) / Shumon Ahmed Ho Rui An (New York, USA and Singapore) / Ho Tzu Nyen (Singapore) / (Dhaka, Bangladesh) / Sissel Tolaas (Berlin, Germany) / Sudhir Pat- Iqra Tanveer (Lahore, Pakistan) / Janine Antoni (New York, USA) / wardhan (Thane, India) / Sumakshi Singh (New Delhi, India) / Sunoj D Julian Charrière (Berlin, Germany) / K G Subramanyan (Vadodara, (Bengaluru, India) / Surendran Nair (Vadodara, India) / Susanta Mandal India) / K M Vasudevan Namboodiri (Edappal, India) / Kader Attia (Ber- (New Delhi, India) / Tara Kelton (Bengaluru, India) / Theo Eshetu (Berlin, lin, Germany and Algiers, Algeria) / Katie Paterson (Berlin, Germany) Germany and Rome, Italy) / Unnikrishnan C (Pezhumpara, India) / Val- / Khalil Rabah (Ramallah, Palestine) / Kwan Sheung Chi (Hong Kong) san Koorma Kolleri (Pattiam, India) / Wendelien van Oldenborgh (Rot- / Laurent Grasso (Paris, France and New York, USA) / Lavanya Mani terdam, Netherlands) / William Kentridge (Johannesburg, South Africa) / (Vadodara, India) / Lindy Lee (Sydney, Australia) / Madhusudhanan Wim Delvoye (Ghent, Belgium and Brighton, UK) / Xu Bing (Beijing, Chi- (New Delhi, India) / Manish Nai (Mumbai, India) / Marie Velardi (Geneva, na) / Yang Zhenzhong (Shanghai, China) / Yoko Ono (New York, USA) Switzerland and Paris, France) / Mark Formanek (Berlin, Germany) / Mark Wallinger (London, UK) / Martin Creed (London, UK) / Menika van 18 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 19

NS Harsha’s Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam at Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi

Nataraj Sharma’s Alternate Shapes for the Earth (2014) at Aspinwall House, Fort Benitha Perciyal’s The Fires of Faith (2014) at Pepper House, Fort Kochi Kochi • Student’s Biennale • Children’s Biennale • Art Workshops for Students • Artists’ Cinema • Cultural Programmes • Arts & Medicine • Pepper House Residency • Post-Graduate Residency Programme • Let’s Talk Series/History Now

Director of Programmes: Riyas Komu 22 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 23 Student’s Biennale

Student’s Biennale 2014 was part of Kochi Biennale Foundation’s educational initia- tive to create an alternative platform for students from Government-run art colleges in India to reflect upon their art practices and exhibit their works to a global audience. It brought together works of art students from across the country under one roof, be- coming a survey of the diversity of styles and pedagogic traditions current in India’s art education system.

The exhibition was curated by a team of 15 young curators who worked with a dedi- cated advisory committee of leading artists, art thinkers and educators. The curators worked directly with final year BFA and MFA students of 37 art colleges across India to create the Student’s Biennale exhibition.

Student’s Biennale was organised in collaboration with FICA and FIAE and ran paral- lel to the central Biennale exhibition from December 13, 2014 to March 29, 2015.

Works at the Student’s Biennale 2014 24 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 25 Orientation Visits and Programme for Residency for Young Curators College Students

An orientation session for curators of the Student’s Biennale 2014 A student from Kashmir at a performance as part of Student’s Biennale 2014

Kochi Biennale Foundation hosted 15 young curators from different parts of India to The selected colleges/students were from Baroda, Guwahati, Aligarh, Delhi, Chan- execute the Student’s Biennale project. Their engagment began with a two-day orien- digarh, Jaipur, Patna, Hyderabad, Vishakapatnam, Pune, Indore, Kolkata, Kashmir, tation programme at Fort Kochi. The programme was conducted at Pepper House on Mumbai, Panaji, Bengaluru, Jabalpur, and Thrissur. September 27 & 28, 2014. Vidya Shivdas from FICA (Foundation for Indian Contem- porary Art) and Suresh Jayaram from 1ShantiRoad in Bangalore were invited to lead Students stayed in Kochi and had an opportunity to see the Biennale, conduct work- the sessions of the orientation programme. Bose Krishnamachari, Riyas Komu and shops for school-children and also participated in workshops themselves led by artists. Jitish Kallat spoke at various sessions for the curators over the two days. 26 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 27 Children’s Biennale

Children’s Biennale was an attempt to engage young learners and initiate them into art appreciation and art-making. This involved workshops for children at their schools and art camps at the venues of the Biennale. Special arrangements for school-chil- dren to visit the Biennale and guided tours of the exhibition were made available.

Exhibition of paintings by Edmund Thomas Clint as part of the Children’s Biennale 2014 At the time of 2014 Biennale, KBF curated a special exhibition of the works of Ed- mund Thomas Clint, the late child prodigy. The show was hosted at Cosmopolitan Cult in Mattancheri.

Balan Nambiar at a workshop for children at the Children’s Biennale 2014 28 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 29

WorkshopsArt for Students

1. Art workshops for differently-abled students, led by Timira, teacher at Raksha Spe- cial School, Kochangadi on October 30, 2014. Another art workshop for different- ly-abled children at Cottolengo Special School was held on November 6, 2014 at the school premises. 2. Several one-day art workshops for school-children. 3. Art workshop for the students of Central St. Martins, London and Srishti, Bengalu- ru as part of the BP Art Exchange in collaboration with Tate, UK. 4. Apart from these workshops at schools, we had organised ten art workshops for children at Aspinwall House, the main venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014. These were led by participating artists and other art educators. 5. During the Biennale we organised school trips with guided tours of the Biennale, in which the curator addressed the students, who had the opportunity to meet with the participating artists and discuss the works.

Art workshop for students 30 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 31 Artists’ Cinema

Artists’ Cinema was a 100-day film festival that ran during the second edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Artists’ Cinema was a representation of Kerala’s continued inquiry into the cinematic form and its relation with social realities. Artists’ Cinema showcased narrative, documentary and experimental films, thus providing a platform KG George speaking at Artists’ Cinema for alternative cinematic expressions.

Each week of Artists’ Cinema was curated by a different person, allowing a diversity of styles and visions to come together. The curators of Artists’ Cinema were Amar Kanwar, Amol Palekar & Sandhya Gokhale, Amrit Gangar, Ashish Rajadhyaksha , Bandhu Prasad, Bina Paul Venugopal, Faizal Khan, Madhushree Dutta, Manoj Nair, Natasha Ginwala, and C S Venkiteswaran.

Artists’ Cinema has been executed with the support of Susan and Abraham Alapatt.

Screening at Artists’ Cinema 32 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 33 Cultural Programmes Curated by Keli Ramachandran

Kochi Biennale Foundation is committed to supporting the traditional art-forms of Kerala and India. The cultural programmes of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale were spread across the Muziris region - Kochi, Kodungallur and Thripunithura - and featured tradi- tional artforms of Kerala, like Panchavadyam, Ottanthullal, Chavittunatakam, Daffmut- tu, and Oppana. Kathakali performance at Changampuzha Park, Edappally as part of Cultural Programmes

KBF also organised the Chilapadikaram Festival, which explored the cultural and political meanings of the story of Kannaki and would become a forum to discuss contemporary gender issues. The festival was organised in the Matilakam region of Kodungalloor, some 35 km from Kochi and reportedly a central part of old Muziris.

Chhau dance at TDM Hall as part of Cultural Programmes 34 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 35 Arts & Medicine Co-ordinated by Bonny Thomas

Kochi Biennale Foundation initiated a first-of-its-kind association with the Cleveland Clinic’s Global Arts and Medicine Institute named ‘Arts and Medicine for India’. This one-time event planted the Arts and Medicine concept in the local community and one year later, in February 2014, the first Arts and Medicine programme in Ernaku- MK Arjunan at the Arts & Medicine programme at General Hospital, Ernakulam lam General Hospital was launched. The aim of this ongoing programme is not only to positively change experience for both patients and caregivers in the Hospital but to engage artists in a noble mission to bring art to those who suffer and to those who care for them. To date, over 50 weekly performances have taken place at Ernakulam General Hospital, a public hospital that serves the entire metropolitan community. The programme has gone from strength to strength in recent months and continues to grow in popularity.

Arts & Medicine is organised with the support of Mehboob Memorial Orchestra, Fort Kochi.

Arts

Medicine Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri at the Arts & Medicine programme 36 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 37 Pepper House Res- idency and Exhibition Chitra E G with her work at Pepper House Residency in Fort Kochi

The Pepper House Residency programme is an international residency opportunity for artists from all disciplines to work and collaborate within a studio space situated at the Pepper House, Fort Kochi. The residency is structured on the idea of a three-dimen- sional approach to creativity in which the idea of artistic practice is supported by its two necessary extensions – public interaction and inquiry.

The first season of the Pepper House Residency hosted 12 artists, including five artists from India. Works of these artists were exhibited in a show parallel to the Ko- chi-Muziris Biennale 2014 at Mandalay Hall, Mattancheri.

The Pepper House Residency of the Kochi Biennale Founda- PEPPER tion has been supported by Pepper House, and Goethe-Institut, HOUSE Bengaluru. Residency Pepper House Residency Exhibition at Mandalay Hall, Mattancheri 38 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 39 Post- Graduate Residency Programme

Participants at the Post-Graduate Residency programme in Vagamon The Post-Graduate Residency programme is meant for young artists who wish to con- tinue their education in art, understand their individual practice, and articulate them- selves in the art-world. The residency aims to create a space for young artists to work in a collaborative environment, to encourage individual development of creative skills, and facilitate a free and open exchange of ideas and knowledge of contemporary art practices.

The Post-Graduate Residency programme has been hosted at studios provided by Palette People in Vagamon. This has also been an occasion for us to extend the activ- ities of the Biennale to rural locations in Kerala. Five batches of students from across India have participated in the programme till date.

Artist at work at the Post-Graduate Residency programme in Vagamon 40 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 41

Michael Tharakan, Geeta Kapur, Natasha Ginwala, Vidya Shivadas, Vivek Nanda, Alex Johnson, Okwui Enwezor, Cheran, Amrith Lal, Laurence Kardish, Michael Pearson, Ken Hall, Tansen Sen, Rila Mukherjee, B Venugopal, K K N Kurup, P N Ravindran, M K Prasad, Benny Kuriakose, Samuel Berthet, Rafael Lozano-Hem- mer, Karan Grover, K T Ravindran, Simon Britto, T N Joy, Kamal, Reghunadhan K, Let’sTalk Shibu Chakravarthy, Shahabaz Aman, Bijibal, M M Lawrence, Jerome Poggi, Gabriel Beckinger, Sunil Manghani, Ed D’Souza, Ryan Bishop, August Davis, Mona Hatoum, Gieve Patel, Sadanand Menon, Ranbir Kaleka, Nancy Adajania, Gayatri Sinha, Girish Shahane, Vanessa Branson, Roger Buergel, Tejaswini Niranjana, Ashish Rajadhyak- sha, Jitish Kallat, Sabih Ahmad, Lawrence Liang, Ravi Sundaram, Hilmar Farid, Lu Series/ Xinghua, Sumangala Damodaran, Ding Naifei, Huang Sun Quan, Yoshihiko Ikegami, Kuan-Hsing Chen, Chang Tsong-Zung, Ngoi Guat Peng, Cheruvayal Raman, Kiran Sadanandan, Akshay Raj Singh Rathore, Katja Schenker, Manoj Nair, George Ghev- erghese Joseph, Sunil P Ilayidom, Raghu Rai, Nuru Karim, Raj Cherubal, D Dhanuraj, Bose Krishnamachari, Balan Nambiar, Sethu, Jose Panachipuram, E P Unny, T D History Ramakrishnan, and Valsan Koorma Kolleri. Now

As part of our outreach projects, the Kochi Biennale Foundation organises talks on subjects ranging from art and history to development and economics. The Let’s Talk series aims at providing art aficionados and the general public direct access to artists and thinkers to encourage conversations and discourses. Artists, cultural leaders, theorists, architects, scientists, performers and academicians from all over the world have been part of Let’s Talk. Speakers have included:

Awantika Bawa, V Vishwanathan, Johan Pousette and Helene Larsson Pousette, Aparna Rao, Soren Pors, Benitha Perciyal, Gulammohammed Sheikh, N S Harsha, Bharti Kher, Nikhil Chopra, Sabine Hornig, Sudhir Patwardhan, Andre Luetzen, Christian Waldvogel, Raqs Media Collective, Ashis Nandy, N S Madhavan,Tong Lam, Uday Balakrishnan, K N Raghavan, Gigi Scaria, Pushpamala N, K G Subramanyan, Suresh Jayaram, Kumar Shahani, C S Venkiteswaran, Patrick Blanc, G Shankar, K J Sohan, Ryota Kuwakubo, Chris Dercon, Dayanita Singh, Parvathi Nayar, Rajan Gurukkal, Susie Tharu, T M Yesudasan, Prabhat Patnaik, Achin Vanaik, David Elliott, Reem Fadda, Anselm Franke, P J Cherian, Sashi Kumar, Sanal Mohan, Reem Fadda, David Elliott and Geeta Kapur speaking at Terra Trema 42 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 43

• DADA 100 Curator: Juri Steiner Venue: Aspinwall House, FortKochi \ Dates: 12th & 13th December 2014

• Ummijaan - Making Visible a World Within Partner Artist: Haleema Hashim Curator: Nihaal Faizal Venue: Aasiya Bai Trust Hall, Mattancheri / Dates: 12th December 2014 – 29th March 2015

• Cosmology to Cartography Projects Curators: Vivek Nanda and Alex Johnson Collection: Kalakriti Art Gallery at KMB 2014 Venue: Heritage Arts, Mattancheri \ Dates: 12th December 2014 – 29th March 2015 • Reading Room Artist: Multiple artists Curator: Amit Kumar Jain Support: Colombo Art Biennale and the Nepal Arts Council Venue: Yousuf Art Gallery, Mattancheri \ Dates: 14th December 2014 – 6th January 2015

• Muziris Wharf Roof Prototype Curator: Luis Feduchi Support: Universidad Camilo Jose Cela School of Architecture, Madrid Venue: Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi \ Dates: 12 December 2014 – 17 March 2015

• Malayalam Project Art Director: Theresa Joseph George Content Collaborator: Riyas Komu Researchers: Divya P, Aleena Sajeev, Usha P Design: Blessy John, Jaleel KY Venue: Lilly Street, Fort Kochi / Dates: 12th December to 29th March 2015

• BP Art Exchange Collaborators: Tate, Central St. Martins, Srishti, Kochi-Muziris Biennale Malayalam Project, a Partner Project at KMB 2014 Curator: Annie Bicknell Venue: Artry Gallery, Fort Kochi 44 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 45 Closing Event of KMB 2014

The closing event of the second edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale was organised Governor of Kerala, Justice (Retd.) P Sathasivam, speaks at the closing event at Durbar Hall Ground, Ernakulam on March 28, 2015. The Governor of Kerala Justice P Sathasivam was the chief guest at the closing event. Ministers of the Government of Kerala, members of Kerala Legislative Assembly, Mayor of Kochi and Chairman, GCDA also participated in the closing event. Ska Vengers of Delhi performed at the event.

Ska Vengers performing at the Closing Ceremony at Durbar Hall Ground, Ernakulam 46 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 47

Curator, Jitish Kallat and also discussed the plan of action for resource mobilisation. The third meeting of the year was held on 29th March 2015 and noted with satisfac- CSR Support and tion the successful implementation of the Second Edition of the Biennale. The Board also discussed the plan of action for raising further resources for the Foundation and Kochi Biennale the preliminary work required for the third edition of the Biennale scheduled to open in December 2016. Foundation The new Companies Act 2013 and Section 135 enshrined within it have placed Corpo- rate Social Responsibility at the forefront of corporate business in the country. Sched- ule VII of the Act identify areas/activities/programmes eligible for support under CSR. Constitution of Items ii and v in schedule VII have identified the following eligible for CSR Support: Internal Complaints ii) Promoting education, including special education and employment enhancing vocation skills especially among children, women, elderly and the differently abled and livelihood enhancement projects. Committee v) Protection of national heritage, art and culture including restoration of buildings and sites of historical importance and works of art; setting up public libraries; promo- under the Sexual tion and development of traditional handcrafts Harassment of Women Therefore, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is now eligible for CSR Support. In June 2014, it has been further clarified that “contribution to corpus of a trust/society/ section 8 companies etc. will qualify as CSR expenditure as long as (a) the trust/society/section at Workplace (Prevention, 8 companies etc. is created exclusively for undertaking CSR activities or (b) where the corpus is created exclusively for a purpose directly relatable to a subject covered Prohibition and Redressal) in Schedule VII of the Act.” Therefore, the Foundation is also eligible to seek CSR support for creating a corpus for the KBF. Act, 2013 As per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 and the rules framed there under and notified in December 2013, any public or private organisation has to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee Meeting of the to inquire into any complaint of sexual harassment by an aggrieved woman, whether employed or not, who alleges to having subjected to sexual harassment by a person, Board of Trustees in the workplace. The Foundation, therefore, constituted an “Internal Complaints Committee” for the Three meetings of the Board of Trustees of the KBF were held during the year. The purpose on 19th February 2015. first meeting was held on 19th April 2014 and discussed the progress of work for conducting the second edition of the Biennale. The second meeting held on 8th Au- The Complaints committee shall address the complaints in accordance with the provi- gust 2014 mainly reviewed the plan of action for the Second Edition prepared by the sions of the said act and rules and in accordance with the principles of natural justice. Kochi Biennale Foundation understands the need to maintain proper book-keeping and accounts as the event is being conducted with public mon- ey. We hold ourselves to the highest level of accountability. Kochi Biennale Foundation appointed an independent auditor to conduct monthly / quarterly internal audits and submit the reports to the Govt. of Kerala for the CAG Audit.

On behalf of Board of Trustees we also express our sincere thanks to all those who are engaged in the work of the Kochi Biennale Foundation and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. We also express our appreciation and gratitude to all our supporters for their support and co-operation. 50 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 51 52 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 53 54 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 55 56 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 57 58 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 59 60 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 61 62 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 63 64 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 65 66 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 67 68 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 69 70 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 71

during the Second Edition of the Biennale 72 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 73 74 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 75 76 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 77 78 KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 79 Gulammohammed Sheikh’s Balancing Act at Vasco da Gama Square Kochi Biennale Foundation 1/1903 , Kunnumpuram, Fort Kochi PO, Kerala, India - 682 001 p: +91 484 2215297 | e: [email protected] Visit us www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org

/KochiMuzirisBiennale /KochiBiennale /KochiMuzirisBiennale

N S Harsha’s Matter at Pepper House, Fort Kochi