Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today saidthe state government would provide a permanent venuefor the country's only Biennale - the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB).
Inaugurating the KMBs third edition today at Parade Ground, Fort Kochi, near here, Vijayan saidthe Biennale had gained significant credibility in the international contemporary art world and the government was looking to develop it along the lines of the Venice Biennale.
"The ancient history of Kochi is marked with adventure and the idea to organise the Biennale here tells us that there is adventure in its present too. Just as the Biennale created history in Kochi, a permanent venue for the Biennale will also create history," he said.
Vijayan said already, the LDF government has allocated Rs 7.5 crore in its budget to organise the Biennale.
"This is the highest ever funding allotted to an art event by a state government in India, " Vijayan said, pointing out that the concept for the Biennale was announced in 2010 during the tenure of the previous Left government, which had sanctioned the first disbursement of funds towards the events operational expenses.
The Chief Minister termed the Biennale a gateway between Kerala and the world through which the diverse expressions of international art and culture move freely and are brought together under one umbrella.
He also called Kochi the perfect place to host the Biennale owing to its rich cosmopolitan heritage and multi-layered cultural tapestry.
"Though the Biennale is primarily an art event, it has economic and social benefits too. It has energised the tourism sector. The statistics show that lakhs of cultural enthusiasts surged to Kochi from around the different corners of the world to view the first two editions. Both Kochi and Kerala benefit from this influx," he said.
The inauguration ceremony also saw in attendance Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran and former Minister for Culture M A Baby.
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