Reinvention of the Art space during Pandemic, ft ‘Lokame Tharavadu’

Shutdowns are forcing artists all across the world to adapt by substituting virtual performance locations for real ones. Both artists and spectators pay a high price for social distance. Artists are coming up with inventive solutions to keep people linked in the face of a pandemic that is tearing us apart.

With audiences withdrawing to their homes, venues closing, and events being canceled, the industry of arts which is virtually entirely based on public areas, is rushing to rebuild itself online.  COVID-19 has forced all across the world to close their doors. As a result, these organisations have had to swiftly learn how to operate online and stay relevant and visible while their buildings are closed.

Since the introduction of analogue computers in the 1950s, the arts have seen a huge technical upheaval that has encouraged creative methods. However, changes in the media in which art is created do not always imply a revolution in the art itself.

To start a revolution, something more than a technological shift is required. Despite the fact that computing has undoubtedly affected art, the direction of art has never been digital. Before we embrace the language of revolution, we must investigate the relationship between the digital and art worlds.

The show’s curator, Bose Krishnamachari, and the president of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, which is putting on the show as a way to bring Malayali artists from all over the world together, have written to the Chief Secretary, requesting permission to resume the show, which was forced to close 10 days after it opened due to the second wave of COVID-19.

With the help of the Kerala government, the Kochi Biennale Foundation presented Lokame Tharavadu, a significant contemporary art show organised by Bose Krishnamachari. One side of the narrative is the vastness, diversity, and sheer quantity of art, but the site, architecture, and scenography are also important aspects of what makes ‘Lokame Tharavadu’ unique.

The physical art display Lokame Tharavadu (The World Is One) in Alappuzha, Kerala, signalled a resolute return to the physical art show. It was one of the first and largest shows in the world to be physically staged in 2021, and it ran well under COVID-19 guidelines.

Lokame Tharavadu which translates into “The world is one family” was drawn from the verses of a Malayalam poem written by Vallathol Narayana Menon. The show, which takes place during the Covid pandemic, celebrates the ability of art to restore and revive the human soul. It is a large show including over 3,000 pieces by 267 artists scattered over seven sites, all of whom have a direct or tangential link to Malayali culture.

One side of the narrative is the vastness, diversity, and sheer quantity of art, but the site, architecture, and scenography are also important aspects of what makes ‘Lokame Tharavadu’ unique. Benny Kuriakose, who is also the architect for the Muziris Heritage Project, repaired existing historic structures by making fake walls and erecting full roofs in the local typology, all while preserving the magnificent local scenery, water canals, and foliage. However, the architecture in this art tale is not just in the actual space, but also in the concepts of the work displayed. The paintings frequently reference home, the mundane, familial bonds, and domesticity.