ABSTRACT
The re-emergence of large-scale cultural events in South Asia has sparked a renewed discourse in large-scale exhibition culture, about the impact as well as the feasibility of such events in emerging countries in the Indian subcontinent. The proliferation of biennales, festivals and summits in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and very soon in Pakistan identifi es with each nation’s anxiety to align itself with international trends and sharing a global voice. The biennales from these countries also strive to focus on capitalizing to convert its home city as a cosmopolitan cultural capital, resulting in economic gains, though in reality the impact has been varied. How successful these models have been remains a question that scholars, event organizers, advisory groups, government agencies and arts organizations are working hard to answer, as each nation poses political, social, fi nancial and even environmental threats towards sustaining these events. The aim of this chapter is to look at some of the models and determine their impact on the cultural fabric of each nation, as well as the impact on art making practices, community involvement and city regeneration. A specifi c focus is made of the role of the KochiMuziris Biennale as a cultural catalyst in the Indian art scene, with a new model that emerged, like other biennales, from the political, social and cultural debates in India. Overall, the chapter draws from the author’s long-term engagement with arts administration and contemporary art in South Asia, including as a curator of the third edition of the Colombo Art Biennale in 2014. It also draws upon research conducted by the consultancy fi rm KPMG for the fi rst edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2012 as well the author’s own independent empirical research regarding this event.
