Students’ Biennale 2022, one of the key educational initiatives of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, opened to the public on 13 December 2022.
The Trusts’ have previously supported the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Students’ Biennale. With this third iteration of support for the 2022 edition, the programme continues to foster opportunities for art students from government-run colleges and other institutions from across the country to exhibit their work on a national platform. Running parallel to the Kochi Muziris Biennale, the Students’ Biennale 2022 is displaying 50 student projects of 190+ students, who were selected via a national open call, as well as regional calls, by seven curators from approx. 50 institutes across 24 states. The curators worked with the selected students to develop their works around the theme “In the Making”.
These works are exhibited across four venues in Fort Kochi, spanning across four months from 13 December 2022 until 10 April 2023. The layered support of the Trusts across three editions of the Students’ Biennale (2016, 2018 and 2022) has helped the Students’ Biennale build on their programme and focus on reaching out to art colleges and students across India in providing this platform to exhibit their work; help students reflect and hone on their artistic practice; and develop production and exhibition design skills. Like the 2016 and 2018 editions, this edition too will see the presentation of Tata Trusts Students’ Biennale International and National Awards to deserving student(s) who will be selected via a jury towards the close of the Biennale in March 2023.
The Students’ Biennale is a project of tremendous potential to provide international exposure and steadfastly acclimatize Indian art students to the global contemporary art scene. It seeks to incrementally address the challenges faced in art pedagogy, and in time build a case for changes in current art curricula and practices.
Some images from the opening week of the Students’ Biennale 2022.
