Kochi: The 2022 edition of the Students Biennale, which exhibits the creative talents of modern contemporary artists, has got off to a colourful start at Mattancherry VKL Warehouse.
Fifty-one presentations from various art learning centers spread across 22 states in India exude a fresh vigour of modern thinking, sentiments, and reactions through four different venues. One hundred and ninety-six art students are part of this presentation which is based on the theme ‘In The Making’ that is put together by seven internationally acclaimed curators.
Goa-native Afrah Shafiq who finds extraordinary in the ordinary through uniqueness in perspective, Bengaluru-native Amshu Chukki who makes diversity an art, famous curator and writer New Delhi-based Arushi Vats, Delhi-based artist and teacher of art history Malayali Premjish Achari, artist and researcher Delhi-native Suvani Suri, and visual art presenters at Mumbai Clark House Initiative Saviya Lopes and Yogesh Barve are the curators and the brains behind the Students Biennale, which is one of the most important segments of Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
“The segment reflects artists on the rise, new age creations, evolving talents, concepts and socio-artistic perceptions, hence the theme ‘In The Making’,” said Premjish Achari, one of the curators. Despite the limitations of art learning centres in India, how young students mould their creative talents becomes evident in their presentations. The general thinking that art merely means painting, drawing, and sculpting has undergone a change.
Students from the North-Eastern states and Kashmir, who conceptualized their works of art to reflect the prevailing situation there bring out various levels of meaning through their works. Even while being sidelined and despite facing limitations, the new generation finds expression through contemporary arts, which gives hope, explained Premjish Achari.
An array of splendid installations including multimedia creations, photographs with divergent configurations, broad-based sculptures, paintings presented in varied, creative styles, interactive art forms, and indoor-outdoor incarnation artworks are all included in the exhibitions.
The curators have toiled hard to provide a platform to enable the masses in the state to interact with talented artists and contemporary arts from other states. Various workshops and discussions will be held at the art institutions in these states during the four-month-long Biennale fest.
Besides the captivating creative works of two Kerala students, Celine Jacob and Nandu Krishna, a group of students from the KMEA Architecture College is presenting a huge installation on the topic ‘Kashmir’.
The Student Biennale venues titled ‘Co Labs’ include Arman Buildings, KVN Arcade, and Trivandrum Warehouse, besides the VKL Warehouse.
