Munich/Kochi. The BMW Group, partner of Kochi-Muziris
Biennale (KMB) since its first edition in 2012, decided to extend the
cooperation for further three Biennales. This year’s edition of KMB
will take place from December 12, 2016, to March 29, 2017, in 9 venues
spread across Fort Kochi. Maintaining its unique character of being
led by artist-curators, the KMB 2016 will showcase 112 art works of 97
artists from 36 countries. KMB 2016 is curated by internationally
renowned artist Sudarshan Shetty. He is the first Indian artist to
join the Rolls-Royce Art Programme, which was on show in Mumbai this November.
Frank Schloeder, President (act.), BMW Group India: “Right from it’s
inception cultural engagement has been an integral part of BMW Group
India. As an active partner, BMW Group has been promoting creative
exchanges between cultures, people and within the company. Since 2012
BMW has enlarged it’s cultural engagement in India by fostering a
long-term commitment and partnership with Kochi-Muziris Biennale,
enabling it to be a world-class platform for the showcase of
contemporary art. The third edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016
offers us yet another opportunity to widen the scope of our cultural
engagement by showcasing various artistic expressions in projects
focussed on the thought, ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’.”
BMW Art Talk
Starting at 9 AM on the morning of the opening on December 12, the
BMW Art Talk was thus being held at Fort Kochi in the presence
of Feroze Gujral (patron – Kochi Biennale
Foundation, philanthropist, co-founder-Gujral Foundation),
Dr Venu V (IAS, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism,
Government of Kerala), Dayanita Singh (photographer),
and Dr Thomas Girst (Head of BMW Group Cultural
Engagement on the topic of “The Art of Patronage”.
Kochi-Muziris Biennale
Founded and curated by two of India’s leading artists, Bose
Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is a project
in appreciation of, and an education about, artistic expression and
its relationship with society.
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale intends to create not only a platform for
contemporary art in India but also to provide a platform for social
change. In addition, the Kochi Biennale Foundation sees it as its
mission to function as a catalyst for subjects such as sustainability
and urban development.
Sudarshan Shetty
Shetty’s art practice has evolved over three decades from being
centred on painting to multi-media explorations that include
sculpture, video, performance and installation. Experimenting with
scale and motion, Shetty’s works frequently involve bringing together
heterogeneous world of objects, creating a sensation of strangeness
and novelty in what previously familiar. To date, his works have been
included in solo and group exhibitions in India and abroad, including
at the Gwangju Biennale (2000), Tate Modern, London (2001), Fukuoka
Asian Art Museum (2001), Centre Pompidou, Paris (2011), Guggenheim
Museum, New York (2010), and Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2012).
Shetty is the first Indian artist to join the Rolls-Royce Art
Programme and this commission has enabled him to explore new
dimensions of his work, including an in-depth exploration of new
methods of filming. The commission takes inspiration from a popular
South Indian folk tale that is an allegory for artistic expression and
the importance of creativity (titled: “A Story a Song”).
About the Rolls-Royce Art Programme
Art and creative endeavours are at the heart of Rolls-Royce and its
motor cars are commissioned for their aesthetic power. They are
created out of the finest materials at the hands of skilled artisans
who, in turn, produce unique, distinctive and ultimately beautiful
automobiles. By creating the Art Programme, Rolls-Royce formally
acknowledged this unique ethos it shares with the world of art.
The Rolls-Royce Art Programme comprises new works commissioned in
situ, partnerships with leading organisations, art talks with emerging
and established artists, art drives, art walks and art receptions
around the world. It fosters creativity and enables artists to realise
new projects and to explore new areas of their practice.
To date, Rolls-Royce has worked with leading international artists
and key figures from the contemporary art world including Isaac
Julien, Ana Maria Tavares, Morgan Wong, Carlos Rolón/Dzine, Angela
Bulloch, Ugo Rondinone, Michael Zavros, Regina Silveira and Will
Cotton. Rolls-Royce recently announced collaborations with Mohammed
Kazem, Sudarshan Shetty and Yang Fudong.