Children's Biennale Starts: Students To Unveil Art

Kochi, Kerala: The main venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale turned into a garden of budding talents was held on 19th January as nearly 150 school students assembled at the Aspinwall House to vie for honours at a painting get-together being organised as part of the ongoing art festival.

Images of varied themes - mostly nature - found shape and size in a range of hues when children from class I to VII of several schools of Kerala assembled at the leafy premises of the sea-facing heritage building in Fort Kochi on the bright weekend day.

The programme, being organised as part of the Children's Biennale, was inaugurated by playback singer Afsal. Soon, the registered participants began drawing on paper after receiving introductory guidelines from the organisers. Senior artists like Valsan Koorma Kollery, K Raghunathan and Jyothi Basu oversaw the works during its entire course starting from 11.30 am, spending time with the children and encouraging them. The scheduled time was two hours, but that was given an extension.

KMB - Logo

All the participants were given away KBF certificates. Some of them stayed on after completing their work, chatting with senior artists at the three-month biennale - and seeking tips on aesthetics from them.

Children's Biennale

The students, distributed with white papers and clipboards, were free to etch whatever pictures. Yet, a majority of them chose to portray pristine countryside scenery.

A girl painting at Children's Biennale

Senior artists like Valsan Koorma Kollery, K Raghunathan and Jyothi Basu oversaw the works during its entire course starting from 11.30 am, spending time with the children and encouraging them.

A child with his painting at Kochi Muziris Biennale

The main venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale turned into a garden of budding talents today as nearly 150 school students assembled at the Aspinwall House to vie for honours at a painting get-together being organised as part of the ongoing art festival.

"For one, many hadn't completed their work in the prescribed period. Two, this is not a competition. It's the spirit that matters," said a spokesperson with the Kochi Biennale Foundation.

A second session of the programme was held in the afternoon. It started at 3 pm and lasted for 150 minutes. All the participants were given away KBF certificates. Some of them stayed on after completing their work, chatting with senior artists at the three-month biennale - and seeking tips on aesthetics from them.

The students, distributed with white papers and clipboards, were free to etch whatever pictures. Yet, a majority of them chose to portray pristine countryside scenery. "Even students living in urban Kerala preferred painting rural sights," the spokesperson said. While some used water-colour, oil and sketch-pen, a few completed their work with pencil.

Impressive works from the students would be displayed at the biennale after judges select the best ones. More such events will be held in the near future - for those who missed today's, and for those in the senior student category, according to the organisers of India's first biennale that began on 12/12/12.