Second edition of Biennale to begin on Dec 12, 2014

: The second edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the country's pioneering new-art show, will begin on December 12 next year.
Artist Namboodiri announced the dates for the second edition of India's only biennale at a function at Pepper House in Fort Kochi this evening. The inaugural edition of the epoch making art carnival had opened at the culturally-rich Fort Kochi on December 12, 2012.
The function paid tributes to former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Jitish Kallat, Artistic Director and curator of Kochi Muziris Biennale 2014, inaugurated the 'Pepper House Residency' programme on the occasion. The Residency, which is being conducted in collaboration with Pepper House, is part of the preparations towards the 2014 edition of the international platform for contemporary art.

Kochi Biennale Foundation representatives pointed out that the Pepper House Art Residency programme would invite artists from all artistic disciplines to live, work, and collaborate during their preferred time of working at Pepper House studio.
The Residency aims to create a dialogue between locals, artists and institutions, offering them an opportunity to establish relationships in the local community while also serving as a platform to explore their creative potential.

The residency opens with three artists chosen by KBF - Avantika Bawa, an Indian artist, academic and curator settled in the US, German photographer Anja Bohnhof, who is supported by Goethe Institute and Keralite painter Leon KL.

Pepper House will also house artist Bose Krishnamachari's travelling installation, Laboratory of Visual Arts (LaVA) - a curated collection of over 5,000 books and 1, 800 DVDs on visual arts. The library is free and open to all.
The inaugural edition of the Biennale had showcased works by 89 artists from 23 countries. It saw revelry of different mediums, including painting, sculpture, installation, film, digital media and performing arts at sites in Kochi and the Muziris region. Nearly 400,000 people visited the 96-day show which started on December 12 last year.