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Colour Speaks Politics
Colour Speaks Politics Captions accompanying exhibited artworks can be enlightening, but all too often they degenerate into a maze of pompous, convoluted phrasing. Here is an example from the caption accompanying Hasseena Suresh’s work: “Unlike the chronological border of figures glorified in the narratives of mythology, Hasseena traces the genealogy of glorification in the moments…
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Haunting images
Haunting images In Still, Anja Ibsch’s installation at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (see last week), I was also struck by these unsettling images of children’s faces. One was printed on a metal tin, and the other was faintly visible on or behind a glass panel. For the rest of the day, their piercing gaze continued to…
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Still
Still Anja Ibsch had her own space at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale for her installation Still, where she was free to work with her own belongings, memories, and phantoms, as well as with objects she discovered in Kochi. During the biennial, visitors could find her there, working on new ideas and making changes in various spots.…
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Rammed earth
Rammed earth Earthship is an outdoor installation in the form of an S-shaped structure, designed by Monica de Miranda for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. It was built by local masons using rammed earth in the garden of Aspinwall, the main venue of the biennale. De Miranda has placed plants she collected in Kochi in and around…
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Seen from behind
Seen from behind Two girls at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, seen from behind. Two works of art created by Mother Nature. The one on the left has grown organically from a fertilised egg cell; the one on the right has been delicately crafted from driftwood by Raj Mahanand. Photos of the week: Visitor at the Kochi-Muziris…
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Shelter: for the time being
Shelter: for the time being Jayashree Chakravarty has created a cocoon for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and suspended it from the ceiling of her exhibition space. Long rolls and sheets of handmade paper in dark, earthy colours, betel nut fibre, jute, dry grass – all held together by copper wire – form a sort of large…
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Memory and materiality
Memory and materiality I have a soft spot for weathered materials and objects. They carry memories within them, make the changes wrought by atmosphere and time palpable, and reveal life in the face of transience. Kartika Kain’s work was the first thing I saw at the 6th Kochi Biennale, and I was immediately drawn to…
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Kochi and the Biennale
Kochi and the Biennale Kochi is surrounded by the sea. It still exudes the atmosphere of the colonial spice trade, even though that trade is now in Indian hands. Many warehouses are still in use, but a number have been repurposed or stand empty. For the past 14 years, some of the refurbished warehouses and…
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Jalis
Jalis Inside Isa Khan Tomb, New Delhi, India 2026 Inside Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi, India 2026 Jalis, the stone screens with geometric patterns found in tombs and other buildings of Indo-Islamic architecture, can also be found in Hindu and Jain temples and palaces. The play of light and dark they create is a feast for…
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Niqab and hijab
Niqab and hijab Two niqabis and a hijabi at Isa Khan’s tomb. They choose for themselves or let their husbands or families decide how they dress in public, but they keep their smartphones close at hand, just like you and me. Photo of the week: Isa KhanTomb, New Delhi, India 2026
καιρός remembered
… the right moment, position chosen, shoot …
καιρός remembered 