Bengaluru turns canvas for Terrain Biennale’s India debut

Bengaluru artists Shan Re and Romi talk about their work at the ongoing Terrain Biennale

Art has outgrown galleries, fitting into digital formats on our smartphones. Sometimes it occupies public spaces so a larger audience can share in the experience. Visitors to Bengaluru’s Berlie Street and Rajarajeshwari Nagar, may have had a glimpse of the works of artists Shan Re and Romicon Revola.

Their installations are part of the fifth edition of Chicago-based Terrain Biennale, a public art festival founded in 2011 by artist Sabina Ott. Aimed at bring art into residential communities, this is the first time the Biennale is being held in India, with installations in Kolkata, Madikeri, Mangalore and Mysore as well.

“The idea behind the Terrain Biennale is for a host and an artist to collaborate. Apart from a person who is willing to showcase a work of art on their property, it should be in a place with a lot of visibility — the facade of a building, a balcony or a garden — so that it is accessible from the street,” says Romicon Revola aka Romi, who is known in the sphere of public art.