Why Fort Kochi and Mattancherry became the venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale

Fort Kochi prepares to showcase more than 90 artists from around the world at the upcoming Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Explore Find out what makes it such an iconic venue, besides the stunning architecture and colonial charm

The Chinese fishing nets, centuries-old spice warehouses, ancient centres of worship and colonial bungalows lining the cobbled streets of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, all speak of a bygone era.

However, from December 12 to April 10 next year, these streets, warehouses and old villas will turn into galleries of astounding art, with installations by more than 90 artists from around the world, as part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale .

But why have an art festival here, in this dilapidated old trade centre lying on the fringes of a modern Metro city?

Co-founder of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Bose Krishnamachari says Kochi was the obvious choice of venue when the idea for India’s first biennale was mooted more than a decade ago. He says, “Location plays an important role when you create a festival like a biennale, and Fort Kochi and Mattanchery is an ideal location not only for creative projects, but even sociologically it’s multiculturalism gives us so much confidence.”

Shubigi Rao, the Singaporean artist who is curating this edition of the biennale, resonates Bose’s view, but adds that the warehouses of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry can also be an artistic challenge. She says, “It can be hard for artists who are used to working in a white-cubian, or museum-like spaces. However, for those who prefer to work by responding to the environment, these venues are beautiful.”

The history of this land, lying at the mouth of the cochin harbour, goes back to well beyond the colonial era. It is believed that the harbour was naturally formed after the great flooding of Periyar river in 1341 AD. While the disaster created the conditions for a new trade centre in Cochin, it is also believed to have destroyed the mythical port city of Muziris, which used to be located some 30 kilometres north of the present-day Kochi.

Later, in 1503, the Portuguese built Fort Emmanuel that gave Fort Kochi its name. But it was subsequently conquered by the Dutch in 1663 and by the British in 1790. Author and art curator Tanya Abraham, who was born and brought up in Fort Kochi, thinks her home town has a unique spot in the history of Kerala. “It is a place which has brought several cultures from foreign lands. We have other places in Kerala where there was trader. But in terms of so many different communities settling down, and having lasted for all these generations, and their food cultures and religious traditions continuing to last, makes Fort Kochi extremely special,” says Tanya.