Biennales As A Cultural Mosaic

Biennales are known for increasing accessibility and the democratisation of the arts and culture sector. They serve as a platform to bring together art, artists and audiences to seek mediums of sharing and understanding cultures, whilst observing and understanding the future of art that is being carved out with precision. Specifically, Museum Biennales brings together collections from museums to create a place for engagement and receptivity. Duly crafted experiences and thoughtfully employed curatorial strategies take museums beyond what is seen as a mere treasury. With the objective of filling the gap between art, architecture, culture and memory, they are an initiative to contextualise and review our past, present, and future with immersive experiences, symposiums, exhibitions amongst others. To cover the lacuna that exists in how we see our heritage on a personal and community level, biennales facilitate conversations, negotiations, and introspection, to create consciousness and seek what goes beyond reality.

As the upcoming Bihar Museum Biennale, one-of-its kind in India has started creating ripples, with this talk we explore how biennales serve as mosaic of cultures, celebrating their diversity whilst uniting them

Speakers

Dr. Alka Pande

The Chief Curator of Bihar Museum Biennale

Dr Alka Pande is an art historian and under the aegis of the Charles Wallace India Trust, conducted her postdoctoral research in critical art theory at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has extensively written and edited books on Indian aesthetics, culture and photography. She has been awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters- an honour bequeathed by the French government; the Australian-India Council Special Award; L’Oreal Paris Femina Women under Design and Arts and Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi honours- Amrita Sher-Gil Samman.

Dr Pande has been passionately involved with the world of art for more than three decades and has curated several unique exhibitions. Dr Pande was the artistic director of photography biennale Habitat Photosphere as well

Dr Pande is responsible for setting-up museums: Bihar Museum, Divine Gesture, Udaipur City Palace, Kanha Museum, Singinawa. Dr Pande also set up the Bihar Museum Biennale in 2021 and is now the chief curator for the Bihar Museum Biennale 2. Currently, Dr Pande is a consultant art advisor and curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi (India)