January is getting crowded in India with a new biennial coming to the Southern tip of the sub-continent:

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, launched this week, will be held in January next year and will be the first event of its kind in India, featuring artists from all over the world in a three-month show.

Conceived by artists Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu and funded in part by the local state of Kerala, the show will make use of numerous industrial spaces in Kochi and exhibition areas in the ancient port of Muziris.

“We’ve always had this idea of bringing in international at into India,” Komu told AFP in a telephone interview. “We thought that a Biennale would be the best bet.” Artists working in all mediums will be invited, including several from countries with which India has poor diplomatic relations, notably neighbouring Pakistan and rival Asian powerhouse China, he said.

India to Host New International Biennial (Dawn/AFP)