KOCHI: The Kerala Government has sought a report on the funding for the Kochi Muziris Biennale and also about the activities of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, the private trust that has been formed for conducting the biennial. “The Culture Secretary has been asked to submit a report at the earliest regarding the funds that have been transferred to the Kochi Biennale Foundation and about its activities,” Cultural Affairs Minister K C Joseph told Express. “The Secretary has been asked to look into the various media reports that had come out against the functioning of the Kochi Muziris Biennial,” he said and added that he had got numerous complaints from artists regarding it. The artists had also given a memorandum against the Kochi Biennale Foundation, Joseph said. Stating that it was the previous government that had allotted `5 crore for the Kochi Muziris Biennale, Joseph said everything would be looked into. A decision would be taken after getting the report from the Secretary, he added. The government was forced to ask the Culture Secretary to furnish a report after the artistic community raised doubts about the functioning of the biennale. Renowned artist and former executive member of Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi B D Dattan said that the entire artistic community was against the way the government had given the power to the Kochi Biennale Foundation for conducting the biennale. “There is no accounting for the `5 crore that had been already given to the foundation, which has Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu at the top of the trust. How can the government allot such a huge amount of money to a private trust,” he asked. The foundation is engaged in all sorts of extravaganza and is wasting the tax payers money, he said and added the government should not have sanctioned such a huge amount. Lashing out at the Foundation’s claim that the artists in the state would have a bigger space after the renovation of the Durbar Hall, Dattan said the hall had always been a pride of the artists in the state.
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