The Kochi-Muziris Biennale — India’s very first international contemporary art Biennale — was inaugurated with a ceremony headed by  the Honorable Chief Minister of Kerala Shri Oommen Chandy on December 12 at Parade Ground, Fort Kochi.

Curated by Kerala-born and Mumbai-based artists Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu, it features the works of over 80 artists — half of them from India — most of which have been specifically created for the Biennale sites.

From public spaces and heritage buildings to defunct structures and obsolete spice warehouses, this showcase transforms the city of Kochi into a festive celebration of contemporary visual art from India and around the world that drew large groups of the local community and international crowd for its opening week.

Set in spaces across Kochi, Muziris and the surrounding islands, the Biennale plays on the historic cosmopolitan legacy of  trade city Kochi and its predecessor the ancient seaport of Muziris. This international contemporary art manifestation draws inspiration from the area’s history and the colourful worn-down surroundings. The works showcased span across all media — painting, sculpture, installation, video and performance — some exploring global issues and themes, while other directly responding to the context of Kochi.

The three-month long Biennale continues until March 13,2013.

With many thanks to our guide Rami Farook, founder of Dubai’s Traffic, and an advisor to the Kochi-Muziris Biennial.

Setting-up the night before the opening

Robert Montgomery’s poem-based installation on Aspinwall House

Aspinwall Venue

Artist Aman Mojadidi in his outdoor installation Khana-e-Bashary (Humanist House)

Sudarshan Shetty, I know nothing of the end

Aspinwall House Venue

Outset Carnoustie Pavilion

Nalini Malani, In Search of Vanished Blood

Atul Dodiya, Celebration in the laboratory

Atul Dodiya, Celebration in the laboratory

Vivan Sundaram, Black Gold (front) and Subodh Gupta’s Kerala-style trading boat (back)

Vivan Sundaram, Black Gold (detail)

Anant Joshi, Three Simple Steps

Anant Joshi, Three Simple Steps (detail)

Valsan Koorma Koller’s installation recycles Kerala’s natural resources

Dylan Martorell’s interactive installation invites the visitors to touch the exhibit and create music out of found objects

Dylan Martorell’s interactive installation invites the visitors to place powdered spices on top of the speakers and create a cloud of scents

Amar Kanwar, The Sovereign Forest, still photograph of The Scene of Crime video

Amar Kanwar, The Sovereign Forest, photograph of The Constitution book

Amar Kanwar’s The Sovereign Forest includes 266 varieties of indigenous, organic rice seeds

Joseph Semah, 72 Privileges

Joseph Semah, 72 Privileges

Photographic series by Anup Mathew Thomas

Collage by Anup Mathew Thomas

Santiago Sierra’s installation

LN Tallur’s installation of a terracotta tiles roof

Artist Rohini Devasher

Rohini Devasher, Parts Unknown

Sheela Gowda and Christoph Storz, Stopover

Jonas Staal, New World Summit

Moidu’s Heritage Venue

Artist Ernesto Neto

Ernesto Neto, Life is a River

Ahmad Mater, Desert of Pharaoh/adam

Pepper House Venue

Alex Mathew’s sculpture in Pepper House’s courtyard

UBIK, All of Past Must Be Resurrected

Hossein Valamanesh’s installation

Ashok Sukumaran of CAMP

CAMP, Destuffing Matrix

K P Reji, Thoominkal Chathan

The Dutch Warehouse Venue

UBIK, Residual Traces