The Impossibility of a Non Alienated Life
The Biennale
The Kochi Muziris Biennale(KMB) is an art exhibition and festival, the largest of it’s kind in South Asia. It is the flagship event of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), a non profit charitable trust, who’s aim is to promote arts and culture. In their own words, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale seeks to be a project in appreciation of, and education about, artistic expression and its relationship with society.
Funding
The Biennale has become a beacon for the Indian art and culture scene, receiving Rs 7.5 crores in 2016 from the Pinarayi Vijayan Government; the largest funding allocation to an art event by a state government in India. Keeping with their commitment, they had allocated Rs 7 crores for the ongoing 2018 edition of the Biennale as well.
Earlier promises of funding for the previous editions fell through or fell short of the promised amount, leading to the raising of funds by trustees and organizers as well as crowdfunding. In fact for the 2014 edition the Biennale officials themselves had raised Rs 16.5 Crores.
Apart from the Government, KBF has been supported by various sponsors and individual and institutional patrons. For the fourth edition, the major corporate partners are Lulu Group, DLF, BMW and Cold Stone Creamery; their corporate sponsors are Asian Paints, TVS and IIFL Investment Managers. The full list of over 200 supporters and sponsors can be found here.
The artists for the 2018 biennale was low in purpose as Anita Dube made it a point to carefully select artists that fit the theme.
Controversies
This article is concerned with the latest controversy, that brings into focus an issue that has plagued the Biennale since it’s conception — The mismanagement of funds. This issue was brought forward publicly on March 22, 2019 through the Instagram page @justicefrombiennale18_19. Run by a few of the vendors, the page began with posting stories of individual workers who were unpaid for their labour. It picked up enough momentum to get a public statement in reply from the KBF. But as the response was unsatisfactory, the fight for the stakeholders continues. Through the rest of the article we hope to fully explain the current situation.
The Instagram Page
Beginning just a few days ago, it has amassed over 3000 followers and a large number of supporters. The page details the mismanagement of funds by the KBF. The prime stakeholder in this is Thomas Clery Infrastructures and Developers (TCID), who have filed the legal notice on behalf of themselves and 184 laborers and 20 vendors. Mr Appu Thomas is the representative of TCID. They are accusing the KBF of withholding over 50% of their rightful payment. Their demand is not an immediate payment of all that they are independently asking, but rather a revaluation of the cost of the work with representatives present from all the stakeholders. A payment, they say, can be made according to this fair valuation. (Here on TCID will be used as a blanket term to represent TCID as well as the 184 laborers and 20 vendors)
The below video, taken from their page, concisely explains the problem and demand of TCID and other vendors.
Hypocrisy of the Biennale
It is on this occasion I would like to bring into focus the theme of this years biennale — The Possibility for a Non Alienated Life.
A stark contrast is felt between what the KMB stands for and it’s actions. The edition focused on the rejection of exploitation and hierarchy and one that supposedly champions the politics of friendship, is also the one that seems to exemplify what it is supposed to reject and reject what it is supposed to exemplify.
At the heart of my curatorial adventure lies a desire for liberation and comradeship (away from the master and slave model) where the possibilities for a non-alienated life could spill into a ‘politics of friendship.’ Where pleasure and pedagogy could sit together and share a drink, and where we could dance and sing and celebrate a dream together.
-Anita Dube in her curatorial note-
The following are three specific works that involved labour that has still not been paid for. Each of these works in the juxtaposition of meaning and reality, epitomizes the hypocrisy of the KMB.
The Pavillion
Anita Dube, the curator of Biennale 18, envisioned The Pavillion, in her own words, as “a space where there would be no hierarchies of who could speak and what could be said and in which language; the joy of listening, speaking — agreeing and disagreeing — and working through differences, contradictions and confusions together with visitors; a perfect site for pleasure and pedagogy.” A place that would epitomize the theme of this year — Possibility for a Non Alienated Life; yet it represents the exact opposite with the workers who made the structure possible still left unpaid and being denied payment.
Messages from the Atlantic Passage
Sue Williamson’s ‘Messages from the Atlantic Passage’ at Aspinwall House which contains five fishing nets filled to the brim with glass bottles containing traces of earth is suspended from the ceiling with water dripping through it. The work meant is meant to depict how people were treated as cheap commodities in South Africa. But it has turned into a modern day paradox of slavery, where the plumber, Aneesh, who worked tirelessly to achieve the intricate plumbing has not been paid for his work according to @justicefrombiennale18_19.
This is corroborated by one of the two production assistants who worked on the project. He says that while he is not aware of the status of the other claims, he can say that the plumbers who did Sue’s work have not been paid. He further says that the plumbers had less than a week to complete the intricate plumbing work. George Mathew of Palal Realty, said that this kind of highly skilled work would take two to three plumbers around 3 days to set up. It is also to be understood that these plumbers not only worked on Sue Williamsons work but also all the washrooms and kitchen areas and other plumbing requirements of the Biennale.
Mr Sun (Slow Violence)
EB Itso, a Danish subversive artist hung a 3.5 tonne tyre at Aspinwall House to depict the burden of development and capitalistic exploitation. A solitary tyre in a barn like structure, he ordered it online. And just like that, with a click of a button, he created meaning and earned applause. Meanwhile Shibin, the worker who did the earth work, built the structure and hung up the tyre has not been paid.
Sneha Joseph a visitor to the biennale recalls seeing E.B Itso’s work and marveling at the structure that held the tyre. She says that she remembers talking with her friends about how the real feat was how well the tyre had been hung. “It’s a real shame knowing now that the people who actually put in the labour for us to enjoy these works of art haven’t received their payment”, she said.
The Legal Notices
The first legal notice was issued by TCID on 18 March 2019, five days before the issue was made public. The notice outlined, in 22 elaborate points, the nature and timeline of the work undertaken by TCID and individual vendors, the problems they had with the handling of the matter so far, what was expected of KBF and what would be done in case of non compliance.
The reply from the KBF came on 23 March 2019, the same day that the Instagram page was started. A legal notice as well as a public notice on the Kochi Muziris Biennale page was issued.
Imagine those pushed to the margins of dominant narratives speaking: not as victims, but as futurisms’ cunning and sentient sentinels. And before speaking, listening to the stone and the flowers; to older women and wise men; to the queer community; to critical voices in the mainstream; to the whispers and warnings of nature.
- Anita Dube in her Curatorial Note-
The differences in the two notices were instantly distinguishable. The first and foremost being the language. The language of TCID’s notice was straightforward but not harsh, it accounted all the events that took place with exact dates and figures. KBF’s reply on the other hand could easily be classified as condescending and arrogant and as possibly even classist. Below are excerpts from both notices. It is also interesting to note that, transparency of the proceedings are being maintained by @justicefrombiennale18_19 as they have posted both legal notices on their page.
Current Amounts Demanded and Released
The Biennale has not only disagreed to a revaluation, but as per the second and incomplete revaluation they have asked for the excess of over 24 lakhs to be paid back to them. This is not just illegal but also unethical on their part as the revaluation only took into account the prevailing local rates for the items procured and was done without the consultation of a representative from the contractors. The labour costs were not considered and only a largely reduced material costs were taken into account.
The Way Ahead
Legally, TCID has the upper hand in asking for a revaluation, especially considering the KBF, that handles large amounts of public money, doesn’t even have a CFO.
Mr Appu Thomas has gone on to say that no matter how much funds the KBF have they will not be able to manage it as everyone at their top level management is ill equipped for financial dealings. “Komu was the brains behind the operation and Bose handled the art side of things, with Komu gone Bose has clearly struggled to achieve the earlier balance”, he says.
It is unlikely that there will be a quick solution to the issues raised by TCID, but it is blatantly obvious that the next edition of the Biennale will run into trouble. KBF has lost the trust it had amongst the local people that made it what it is, and perhaps the Pinarayi Vijayan government will follow suit of the Oomen Chandy Government and deny funds to the KBF.
Although it is a lot to speculate, according to sources, rumors are rampant that the 5th edition of the KMB may never see the light of day. If so, it would be advisable that they end on a high and not at the current low they are in.
