Kochi Muziris Biennale: Art from ‘heaven on earth’ in search of God

KOCHI:  Adistinctive art performance from the ‘heaven of the earth’ made an impression at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale for the artist’s attempt to portray a wandering mind in search of the creator. The performance titled ‘Mad Man’ made its debut on the premises of Aspinwall House, the main venue of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, on Sunday. 

Nasir Ahmad Sheikh, a final year Fine Arts degree student at the University of Kashmir, performed the soul seeking an answer to the question ‘where to find God’, while carrying a lantern in hand.

Nasir made a special effort to enact the work in the form of a story narration through self-composed poems in the Kashmiri language, various grandma stories transmitted by word of mouth, and his own experiences. He was supported by Malik Irtiza, a graduate in visual arts, and Sadaf Sawlath and Aurooj Nasir, fine arts students at Kashmir University.

“The fictional character who shouted ‘God is dead’ on the street, thereby earning the nickname ‘Mad Man’ is the inspiration behind this creation,” explains Nasir. The video presentation of Nasir at the Mattancherry VKL Warehouse venue of the Students Biennale is also centred around a lantern. The artworks of Malik Irtiza, Sadaf Sawlath, and Aurooj Nasir are also on display at VKL Warehouse.