KOCHI, India and MUNICH, December 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
BMW Art Talk and Symposium on Urbanisation
Now in its second season, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale will take place from December 12, 2014 to March 29, 2015 in 8 venues spread across Fort Kochi and Ernakulam. Titled Whorled Explorations, KMB 2014 is curated by the internationally renowned artist Jitish Kallat. Maintaining its unique character of being led by artist-curators, KMB 2014 will showcase 100 works of 94 artists from 30 countries. The BMW Group has been a partner since the pioneering edition of the biennial in 2012.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141212/10112699-b )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141212/10112699-a )
"Whorled Explorations metaphorically exaggerates the gestures we make when we try to see or understand something; of either going close to or moving away from it in space, and we reflecting back or forth in time to understand the present. The exhibition draws upon these gestures of deliberation across the axes of space and time to present artworks that interlace the bygone with the imminent and the terrestrial with the celestial", says Mr. Kallat who has envisioned Kochi as "an observation deck - a viewing device and not the vista".
Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India, welcomes the continued partnership: "We are very pleased to support the programme of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale by offering seminars during the three months ahead. By supporting projects focussing on issues regarding urban life, we have been offered yet another opportunity to widen the scope of our cultural engagement."
Starting at 9.30 AM, during the morning of the opening on December 12, a BMW Art Talk will thus be held at Fort Kochi in the presence of the Artistic Director of KMB2014, Jitish Kallat. Chris Dercon (Director, Tate Modern) will speak with Gulammohammed Sheikh, Dayanita Singh and Parvathi Nayar (all participating artists of KMB 2014) on the topic of contemporary Indian art at home and abroad.
Founded and curated by two of India's leading artists, Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 drew in nearly 400,000 people. The Biennale which "walked into people" proposed a new way of engaging and exploring through art. KMB is a project in appreciation of, and an education about, artistic expression and its relationship with society.
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is intended to create not only a platform for contemporary art in India but also be a platform for social change. In addition, the Kochi Biennale Foundation sees it as its mission to function as a catalyst for subjects such as sustainability and urban development. On January 18, 2015, a symposium on urban planning will be held at Aspinwall House - a sequel to the seminar on urbanisation supported by BMW during the previous biennial in March 2013.
About BMW's Cultural Commitment
For more than 40 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on modern and contemporary art, jazz and classical music as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group's Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, Zubin Metha, Daniel Barenboim and Anna Netrebko have co-operated with BMW. The company has also commissioned famous architects such as Karl Schwanzer, Zaha Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au to design important corporate buildings and plants. In 2011, the BMW Guggenheim Lab, a global initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the Guggenheim Museum and the BMW Group celebrated its world premiere in New York. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all the cultural activities it is involved in for granted - as this is just as essential for groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.
The BMW Group
With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world's leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2013, the BMW Group sold approximately 1.963 million cars and 115,215 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2013 was €7.91 billion on revenues amounting to approximately €76.06 billion. As of 31 December 2013, the BMW Group had a workforce of 110,351 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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Primary Media Contact : Abhay Dange, [email protected] , +91-9910481013, Press and Corporate Affairs, BMW Group India
Secondary Media Contact : Leonie Laskowski, [email protected] , +49-89-382-45382, Cultural Engagement, BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs
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