Mapping change at the Chennai Photo Biennale

There is this stunning image by Mohini Chandra of what seems like an old worn-out bag or container. Curated by Arko Datto, Bhooma Padmanabhan, Baoz Levin and Kerstin Meincke, the event looks at “creating awareness about the mind-churning social, environmental and technological exigencies of life.” Titled ‘Maps of Disquiet’, the biennale features physical exhibitions, digital screenings, workshops, artist talks and virtual exhibitions spread across seven venues in Chennai. Photo courtesy the artist/Chennai Photo Biennale The biennale also features works of over 37 artists and contributors from 10 countries such as Anaïs Tondeur, Babu Eshwar Prasad, Gauri Gill, Harun Farocki,Jane Jin Kaisen, Katja Stuke, Rohini Devasher, and more. Photo courtesy the artist/Chennai Photo Biennale He also cites the example of the journals, which were born out of the need to rethink the conventional curatorial formats and to develop alternative ways of displaying work, of convening thinkers and artists, or engaging in dialogue with colleagues. Photo courtesy the artist/Chennai Photo Biennale “The city itself has come to be addressed through various artists’ projects within the biennale—like Yuvan Aves about the coastlines of Chennai and the importance of counter-mapping practices, Parvathi and Nayantara Nayar’s investigations into Indo-Korean relationship with a protagonist from Chennai, Sanchayan Ghosh’s workshop with its enquiry into embodied knowledge about the city, and Katja Stuke and Oliver Sieber’s project with archival and new imageries of Chennai,” she says.