Kader Attia, curator of the 7th edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale during a chat with mediapersons in Kochi on Wednesday
Born in Dugni, France, in 1970, Attia is currently a professor of time-based media at HFBK Hamburg. Because it helps you move beyond the screens, “Without attributing it to any religion, I would say art is a sacred space.
Kochi : In the modern age, one of the significant roles of a biennale is to preserve the artistic experience as a physical one, where audiences have to move to a location to witness art, said noted artist Kader Attia. We are constantly worried about the past and the future, but not about the moment we are living in,” he said. He has been selected as the curator of the 7th edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Being in reality helps you feel the importance of being in reality. It doesn’t matter if a person likes a particular artwork or not. In a society of information, we have ended up being constantly pushed into a non-real world. His childhood in the suburbs of Paris and Algeria, as well as his experiences in Congo and South America, have deeply influenced his artistic work. Through his work, he has depicted the psychological and physical consequences of colonialism. His practice combines art installation, sculpture, film, photography and archival research.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday at an event in Kochi, Attia said art provides a space for people to move beyond screens and experience reality.
Attia said he was fascinated by his visits to the earlier Kochi-Muziris Biennale. “People in Kochi have a distinct body language, maybe due to the city’s proximity to the ocean and the fact that it is open to the rest of the world,” he said.