BMW partners with the fifth Kochi-Muziris Biennale
Since its very first edition in 2012, BMW has been official partner of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB). The fifth biennale opened on December 12, 2022 with over 200 projects spread across heritage properties and warehouses, galleries and public spaces across Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, and Ernakulam on India’s southwestern coast. The central exhibition “In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire” curated by Singaporean artist Shubigi Rao featuring 90 artists and over 40 new commissions was however unexpectedly postponed at the last minute and will now open on December 23, 2022 and run until April 10, 2023 in the historic Aspinwall House, Pepper House, and Anand Warehouse in Fort Kochi.
BMW Art Talk: “Art in India: From Collecting to Collective Action”
To celebrate the fifth edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale as official partner, the BMW Art Talk was held on the morning of December 13 at 11.30 AM followed by a lunch at Brunton Boatyard. Shubigi Rao (Curator of KMB 2022-23) and Aarti Lohia (Patron and Trustee KBF) were in conversation with Dr Thomas Girst (Head of BMW Group Cultural Engagement) on the topic of “Art in India: From Collecting to Collective Action”.
Programmes and Exhibitions – Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2022-23
Founded in 2010, the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) was started by artists for artists, with the intention to bring contemporary art and ideas from across the world to South Asia. Situated in Fort Kochi, an island not far away from Muziris, the ancient port on the maritime silk route, the site was a nod to both a history of trade and cultural contamination, and a locus for global, cutting-edge contemporary art.
For further information on the programmes and exhibitions led by Director of Programmes, Mario D’Souza, please refer to: https://www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org/programmes-events/programmes
BMW Group India Cultural Engagement.
Since its inception, BMW India has participated in leading cultural engagements across the country. In 2007, two BMW Art Cars created by world renowned artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were presented at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. BMW Art Cars by Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Sandro Chia and Cesar Manrique have been exclusively showcased at various editions of the India Art Fair. “The Future is Born of Art” is a unique initiative by BMW India and India Art Fair which aims to propel emerging Indian artists and further BMW Group’s commitment to promote art, sustainability, and innovation. Since 2012, BMW has partnered with Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the contemporary art exhibition, which brings international artists to India and creates a global platform for Indian artists. In 2012-13, the innovative BMW Guggenheim Lab came to India. Based at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and conducted at six different sites in Mumbai, the lab organised six weeks of free programme with diverse audience and communities addressing the challenges and conditions of the urban city.
