Staff crunch, venue delay: Kochi Biennale scrambles to get its act together

While the organisers cited “organisational challenges, compounded by external factors” for the last-minute postponement, several participants feel the announcement could have been made earlier.

4 min readKochiUpdated: Dec 16, 2022 02:17 AM IST

Glimpses from ‘Where Do We Stand Now?’ -- a performance and live art programme curated by HH Art Spaces and Nikhil Chopra at the Dutch Warehouse. (Facebook/ Kochi-Muziris Biennale)

Listen to this article

Staff crunch, venue delay: Kochi Biennale scrambles to get its act together

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

AFTER THE Kochi-Muziris Biennale was postponed hours before it was to open for the public on December 12, it was not just visitors who were distressed but also participating artists.

While the organisers cited “organisational challenges, compounded by external factors” for the last-minute postponement — from a delay in gaining access to the main venue to shortage of staff — several participants feel the announcement could have been made earlier.

“I was really excited to show my work and interact with viewers but it won’t be possible to be here so close to Christmas, as it now opens on December 23,” said French artist Massinissa Selmani. Like some other participants, he did not attend the inaugural ceremony attended by Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan on December 12. “Why should we go? The biennale hasn’t opened,” Selmani asks.

The 10th anniversary of Kochi-Muziris Biennale was inaugurated by Pinarayi Vijayan, others. (Image source: Instagram/@kochibiennale)

Scheduled to take place in 2020, this edition of the biennale was postponed twice due to the pandemic. This time, the satellite exhibitions, invitation projects and Students’ Biennale have opened, but the main biennale venues — Aspinwall House, Pepper House and Anand Warehouse — will open together later.

Kochi-Muziris Biennale | Over 90 artists come together for 4-month art celebration

“What has happened is terrible and is an organisational responsibility, it was not the fault of the curator,” says Bose Krishnamachari, president of Kochi Biennale Foundation. He adds that till it started raining over the weekend, the organisers believed that most of the works would be up by December 12.

“We have been wanting to start work for months but there was a huge delay in getting the main venue, Aspinwall House. The Kerala government has been negotiating to acquire it from DLF, which owns a part of it, and those talks were going on. We finally got the venue on November 4, but only partial access initially… a lot of repair work could not be done or rooms prepared, and the works could not be installed. When it rained and we realised that there were leaks, we had to push it back by 10 days as we felt that was a realistic date to open as fully as possible,” says Krishnamachari.

Delhi-based Asim Waqif, whose installation “Improvise” is one of the outdoor projects at Aspinwall House, describes working for this biennale as one of his most “frustrating” experiences. “I could anticipate three-four months back that there were going to be serious problems,” he says.

Story continues below this ad

Waqif recalls how he had approached the biennale team for assistance for ground research for his installation that uses bamboo, coir and pandanus leaves, and was informed there was a staff shortage. “Everything has been delayed, from my on-site visit earlier this year, to the time when bamboo arrived in Fort Kochi for me to start work. I am yet to sign a contract with the biennale and haven’t received my artist fee,” he says.

According to Krishnamachari, organisational changes were also made in recent months, and new trustees appointed closer to the opening date. Several problems of the biennale are also tied to its financial troubles.

“The funds during this edition are better than other years. We have government funding, private patrons and sponsors but the total funds garnered aren’t sufficient and we hope tickets sales and a charity auction may help further. Also, the funds need to come on time… The biennale can’t accept foreign funding either, we don’t have FCRA (clearance),” he says.

On site, some of the artists say they are still waiting for their shipments to arrive. The delays have been caused due to “late action, changes in customs-related policies and longer and more expensive process for bank guarantees”, says Krishnamachari. The shipment costs have also gone up post pandemic, he says.

Story continues below this ad

Some of the participants also raised concerns over delayed payments to daily wage labourers who worked for the 2018-19 edition. “We have been assured by the biennale that the issue has been resolved,” says French artist Nathalie Muchamad.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

Tags:
Kochi Biennale

Loading Recommendations...

Jun 09: Latest News

Live Blog