‘Lokame Tharavadu’ reflect the literature and

art born of Malayali culture

BY: LIYA SHANAWAS

Img: Inside Lokame Tharavadu KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION

The scale, diversity, and sheer quantity form one side of the story, but
the site, architecture, and scenography are part of what makes ‘Lokame
Tharavadu’ which means the world is one family, a contemporary
exhibition organized by the Kochi Biennale Foundation at the
Alappuzha Heritage Project on November 30 special and close to every
Malayalis’ heart. It is a win for the travellers to buy the meaning, history
and culture of the state from the stage and wall of the Biennale rooms.
The core idea of this exhibition, the world is one world is drawn from
the verses of famous Malayalam poem written by the great Vallathol
Narayana Menon who have contributed much to the world of literature.
The verses appeals to the universal spirit of humanity, especially in these
times of Covid pandemic were we all treat each other with love and care
even being confined to the four walls our space which helped us to get
closer with our family.

The exhibition invokes the power of literature through art to revive and
bring back to life the dejected human spirit. It is an outcome of the
special interest of the Kochi Biennale Foundation to reach out to the
artistic community in these trying times and connect over 300 artists and
20 authors all around the world. Bose Krishnamachari has
conceptualized the exhibition asking certain important questions about
our ideas of home, surroundings and the world. He have not been
filtered his choice of displaying art and providing a stage for literature to
only Kerala Authors, but one can find ideas and thoughts storming from
Delhi, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Punjab and different corners.

The thought provoking paintings, sculptures, video art, and books

weren't what fascinated visitors, it was the performance done by various
authors and artists across Kerala. Unni R, an Indian Short story and film
writer, delivered an insightful and entertaining interactive section with
the audience answering hard to crack questions chosen by the Biennale
committee. He commented his experience on wining the 2021 Kerala
Sahitya Academy Award for his short story, Vaanke. It was observable
that the Kottayam born writer has his ardent love for Indian history and
to unite women in their search for identity.

Writer Hareesh S talked about his journey in exploring the caste in

Kerala during the mid 20th century. He said he wasn’t expecting to
reflect on the matter through his highly admired but controversersial
debut novel, Meesha.

Img: Unni R and different Authors during the chat section.

More interestingly, the story of art was not just in the physical space but
in the themes of the work exhibited and voice echoed. The idea of home,
the quotidian, familial relationships, feminity and domesticity resonate
so often in every work. Scaria’s tree trunk model which cut through the
heart of a bungalow; Jitish Kallat’s route map of his father’s lifetime
from being a child to his kid’s grandfather with the evolution of
technology and his surroundings. Author and Artist Dibin Thilakan's
short documentation of people within the four walls of a home was a
natural response to an exceptional event that has restored our
connections with our homes. As Thilakan puts it, modestly and
obviously, “We encountered the crisis [pandemic] from home. So it’s a
tribute to home.”

Img: The paintings and sculptures inside the Biennale that put forward
the theme of home, unity and love.

By giving everyone talented a wall of fame and a mic to express, the

show questions the function of literature enthralled in art and explores its
potential in building socialism. “Treat this as your solo show,” was a
mantra that Bose constantly said to one and all. A few steps ahead of
me, was a very loud seven-year-old with two ponytails in her frock who
is accompanying her grandparents. She has questions of all sorts. “Is the
sky red if it is red?” “Why is the cockroach bigger than the house? ” On
the corner of my notebook I wrote a question that came into my mind.
“Has Lokame Tharvadu someway helped the literature world unfold its
superiority?” In my way, I guess it have brought a new meaning of
expressing literature through colors, art, sculptures, documentation or
maybe through a sit up conversation.