How an art show is breathing new life into Alappuzha’s decadent world

Ask any Malayali what he thinks of ‘Alappuzha’ – he will give you predictable descriptions.

‘Where the roads are waterways’, ‘the seat of the Leftist revolution’, ‘historic but not futuristic’ – in fact, anyone could easily ask what relevance can this old, decadent and dilapidated town have in a world where one’s life moves in the direction one swipes.

But Bose Krishnamachari would strongly disagree. As one of the founders of the Kochi Biennale Foundation teetering on the brink of financial collapse, deeply aware of the pandemic-wrought crisis on the international circuit and philosophically unenthusiastic of virtual art walk-throughs, Bose simply thought to himself – why not curate a contemporary art exhibition exclusively for Malayali artists?

“Creatively thinking, we can do an art show anywhere,” says Bose. “But a pragmatic plan rests on a single reality – space.” And Alleppey offered that in plenty.