Students' Biennale: Next Gen goes next level
Over the years, the Students Biennale has evolved into an engaging platform for emerging artists to articulate personal histories and social concerns through contemporary art. Conceived as a space for experimentation, critical inquiry and dialogue, this segment of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale brings together budding artists from across the country, foregrounding works shaped by lived experiences and regional realities. This year, it unfolds across multiple venues in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, including the VKL Warehouse, Arthshila Art Centre, St Andrews Parish Hall, and Space Gallery. Themes such as displacement, cultural erosion, labour, fragility and social control run through this edition, curated by Salman Baba. At the VKL Warehouse, Shifting Landscapes by Reppandee Lepcha of Sikkim, emerges from an urgent need to preserve a community on the brink of cultural erasure. The installation centres on the Lepcha (Rong) community, an indigenous group facing the gradual loss of language, traditions and land due to environmental crises and development projects. This work was born from the frustration of not being able to do anything for my community, says Reppandee, who is a student at Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. Imprinting scripts onto walls and incorporating traditional motifs, the installation draws on everyday Lepcha phrases she remembers hearing while growing up. Today, she rues, conversations around the community are dominated by words such as flood, construction and dam. Reppandee uses perishable materials native to the region and weaving techniques historically practised by the Lepcha community. A central motif is the Pogo Reep, or the Indian Trumpet Flower, a ritualistic bloom found in almost every Lepcha household. I am trying to hold on to whatever is left and pass it down to the next generation like a baton, she says, describing weaving as a literal means of connecting past, present and future. The installation, she adds, is not meant to last, but to create a lasting impact. At the same venue, Adil Farooq Maliks Remains of a Home reflects on memory, identity and physical space in the context of rapid urban transformation. I have drawn from personal experience to examine what happens when a home is taken away in the name of progress, says the student at Institute of Music & Fine Arts, University of Kashmir. My ancestral home in Kashmir was demolished in 2023 as part of a road expansion project. It took away what was an integral part of my identity. Inheritance of the Hand by Mohammad Riyaz and Aman Kumar The installation brings together remnants windows, a chair, ruined photographs, and pieces of paper bearing Urdu writing left behind after the demolition. Nearby, Through Their Eyes by Vikas Kumar, a student at JLN Government College of Art in Shimla, turns attention to perception and surveillance. The work is a take on how people quietly observe and judge others. Vikas began with video recordings of performative actions, later distilling them into graphic prints. The project reflects on the tension between who we are, who we want to be and how we are ultimately seen by others. Being observed and judged is a shared experience, often uncomfortable and uninvited, he says, adding that the works relatability lies in this collective unease. At the BMS Warehouse, an intriguing work is Death Circle by Krishna Murthy P S, a student at Chamarajendra Government College of Arts in Mysore. It centres on a colony of ants fashioned from seeds and tree spines. Through Their Eyes by Vikas Kumar I have been observing ants closely since childhood, within and around my home. Its a practice that continues to this day, he says. I also collect seeds and tree spines found in my immediate surroundings. The work references the phenomenon of an ant mill a rare occurrence in which army of ants, having lost their pheromone trail, move in an endless circular loop until exhaustion leads to mass death. Through this work, I explore cycles of instinct, disorientation and collective movement within nature, says Krishna, adding that the installation is shaped by philosophies of ephemerality, decay and seasonal change. At Arthshila Art Centre, Inheritance of the Hand brings together the collaborative work of Mohammad Riyaz of Government Institute of Fine Arts, Gwalior, and Aman Kumar from Government College of Arts, Jabalpur. Rooted in farming, tailoring and textile traditions, the installation uses hand-painted muslin and stitching to explore agrarian distress, generational knowledge, and the dignity of labour. Adil Farooq Maliks Remains of a Home Mohammad, who hails from an agrarian family, recalls learning tailoring in Class 7 as a practical skill valued more than formal education in his village. Aman draws from his grandmothers stories to explore memory and generational loss, with weaving and painting becoming shared languages of dialogue and support. Also at Arthshila, Durgesh Prajapatis Expression of Fragility reflects on the vulnerability of traditional craft. Born into a potter family of the Kumhar community in Uttar Pradesh, Durgesh uses red clay sourced from his village pond to symbolise both physical and cultural fragility. Fragility is a metaphor for the extinct and endangered conditions of terracotta practice in rural areas, he says. Created collaboratively with community members, the work bears thousands of hand impressions, emphasising skill, labour and individual identity. Shifting Landscapes by Reppandee Lepcha Durgesh Prajapatis Expression of Fragility Durgesh, a student at Banaras Hindu University, signs off by saying he is grateful to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale team for creating such a wonderful platform for young artists. Thumbs-up to that. Together, the works featured here demonstrate why the Students Biennale remains one of the most compelling sections of Kochis grand art carnival. It offers a glimpse into how young minds across India are using art to spur conversation.
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