The Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), presented as “India’s first biennial,” survived the crisis that threatened to capsize its inaugural edition. When KMB opened last December in the historic city of Kochi, in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala, it seemed almost certain that this bold initiative could not sustain itself through its scheduled three-month duration. A fortnight before the biennial opened, the Kerala government withdrew a substantial portion of the funding it had promised to the organizers, Bombay-based artists Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu. With many artworks held up at customs or hexed by freight issues, some venues underprepared to host complex installations, and running costs mounting, KMB’s organizers and their supporters spent the biennial’s opening week in desperate fire-fighting. Fortunately, the vocal support of the Kerala audience swung matters in the biennial’s favor; it soon received assurances of official support as well as generous contributions from the Indian business world.
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