Chennai Photo Biennale Edition 'Maps of Disquiet'

Between December 9, 2021, and February 6, 2022, the international biennale of photography will take place in Chennai, with physical exhibitions at Forum Art Gallery, Ashvita's Gallery, Roja Muthiah Research Library, and Madras Literary Society, as well as hybrid screenings of video works at the Goethe-Institut, Chennai.

The Biennale's third edition, titled "Maps of Disquiet", will reflect on the challenges of our time, including resisting majoritarian impositions, ecological collapse, and technological dystopias by reclaiming pluralities of thought, voices, and art, as well as forging new networks of solidarity and care.

One of the highlights of the Biennale, which was founded and organised by the CPB Foundation and the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan in Chennai, is the online journals that were conceptualised in the run-up to the Biennale. The first journal, titled 'Through the Glass, Darkly,' was launched on November 27 and includes podcasts, lens-based works, and critical texts that explore the concept of remembrance, living life in uncertainty during the lockdown, the aftermath of environmental disasters, and the relevance of images in the present day. Andreas Langfeld, Katja Stuke, Oliver Sieber, Amitesh Grover, Nicolas Polli, Paribartana Mohanty, Parvathi Nayar, Nayantara Nayar, Sohrab Hura, Tanvi Mishra, and Yuvan Aves are among the contributors to the journal's first issue. The second journal, titled 'Maps of Disquiet,' is set to debut on December 4, 2021. Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council, New Delhi, is supporting the Journal initiative.

The biennale also includes an international University Student collaboration and workshop with Anna University, Chennai; University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany; and Folkwang University of Arts, Germany, to bring together students studying architecture, art history, and photography from Indian and German universities to collaborate on projects and texts that will be presented in January 2022.

Four Songs of Apocalypse, 2021 by Paribartana Mohanty, and Stories from a Forgotten War by Parvathi Nayar & Nayantara Nayar

It features artists such as Amitesh Grover, Anas Tondeur, Andreas Langfeld, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Arthur Crestani, Babu Eshwar Prasad, Carolina Caycedo, Gauri Gill, Harun Farocki, Hito Steyerl, James P Tylor, Jane Jin Kaisen, Katja Stuke, Oliver Sieber, Katrin Koenning, Lisa Rave, Michael Hanna, Mohini Chandra, Nico Joana Weber, Parvathi Nayar, Nayantara Nayar, Patrick Pound, Rohini Devasher, Rohit Saha, Rory Pilgrim, Ruth Patir, Sanchayan Ghosh, Saranraj, Senthil Kumaran, Siva Sai Jeevanantham, Soumya Sankar Bose, Sridhar Balasubramanium, Susanne Kriemann, Tobias Zielony, Vamika Jain, Vasudha Thozhur and Yuvan Aves.

"CPB Edition 3 is an act of resistance at a time when the world is struggling to find normalcy. We are excited to deliver groundbreaking exhibitions by celebrated artists across both physical and digital formats. Spread across seven venues in Chennai, two distinct digital platforms, and a signature print publication, the third edition will feature the works of over 50 artists and contributors from 11 countries, spanning a 60-day period," said Varun Gupta, Director of the Chennai Photo Biennale,

Following the publication of the journals, the Chennai Photo Biennale will host a number of events in the coming months, including artist talks, physical exhibitions of selected artist's artworks, virtual exhibitions of artworks, digital screenings, university exchange programmes, showcasing student work, the CPB activity corner, and the CPB Awards.