Rs.2.3 crore raised for Kochi Biennale Foundation

An auction to raise funds for the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) has generated Rs.2.3 crore from sale of works donated by prominent Indian artists to support the biennale, it was announced Friday.

The fundraiser was organised by the online auction house Saffron Art and Kochi-Muziris Biennale on Tuesday and out of the 43 lots on sale, 40 were sold.

This brought much needed money to the cash-strapped KBF that had successfully pulled off its second edition in Kochi which ended March 23.

Among the top lots,was a figurative acrylic on canvas titled "Peripheral Nirvana" by the esteemed artist N.S. Harsha, which won the highest bid at Rs.55,00,000 ($90,164). The 10-feet-tall artwork bursts forth with bold images that reflect Harsha's unique style of using elements from Indian miniature painting coupled with meticulous detailing and intricate brushwork.

Gigi Scaria's "Open Invitation 1" was on the second spot with a winning bid of Rs.14,00,000 ($22,951), surpassing its upper estimate of Rs.8,50,000 ($13,935). Scaria's watercolour and automobile paint on paper interrogates the notion of displacement as it interacts with urban spaces to create social and class divide.

Hema Upadhyay's quadriptych "Angry Birds" sold at a resounding Rs.12,00,000 ($19,672), while L.N. Tallur's "Halo vs Body - 2" crossed its upper estimate of Rs.10,00,000 ($16,395) by fetching a price of Rs.11,00,000 ($18,033).

Anju Dodiya's "Curtain Call" achieved its upper estimate price of Rs.10,00,000 ($16,393).