March 22 will see the inauguration of “the world’s first museum biennale” in the form of the Bihar Museum Biennale in Patna. Organised by the Department of Arts, Culture and Youth affairs, government of Bihar, the museum Biennale will have to do in a hybrid format this year due to the circumstances. However, the organisers are more than making up for it with a compelling virtual programming that will see a two-day international virtual conference, curated to explore and promote “museum culture”. The speakers include Neil MacGregor, British art historian and former director of the National Gallery, London and the British Museum; Sarat Maharaj, professor of Visual Art and Knowledge Systems, Lund University/Malmo Art Academy, Sweden, and Research Professor, Goldsmiths University of London; and Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director-general Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai, and advisor to the Bihar Museum.

Curated and designed with the objective of looking at the narrative strung around art that finds pride of place in museums, the museum Biennale is a one-of-its-kind art symposium that focuses on the museum space as an incubator of ideas and thoughts. In its virtual format, visitors can look forward to curated tours of the collections available for viewing while locals can also view some of the offerings physically.

The Bihar Museum Biennale, which will continue till March 28 will see 13 Indian museums participating that include CSMVS, Mumbai; National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore; and IGRMS, Bhopal.

Author and art historian Alka Pande Sourced by the correspondent

In a chat, author and art historian Alka Pande, project director of the Museum Biennale, takes us through the highlights:

What led to the conception of the Bihar Museum Biennale? How are you ensuring its relevance for a diverse group of audience and viewers in 2021, from within the context of this being a museum biennale?

There are a number of art Biennales across the world and enough fairs and festivals to celebrate contemporary art practices. The art fairs also work like commercial spaces where buyers come and have a feast to choose from. However there is no special space to celebrate a collective of museum collections from across the country or even across the world.

The programming of the Bihar Museum Biennale with its two-day international conference, masterclasses by experts and virtual tours of museums, has enough of a wide range of activities so that there is something for everyone. From art lovers, specialists, scholars, art collectors to art college students — there is plenty to choose from.

What are some of the challenges of organising this, especially during the pandemic?

Not having a physical experience is the biggest challenge, I would say. Due to the pandemic, we have been unable to show the physical collection of the 12 other museums. A great loss in the aesthetic experience is being felt.

The second challenge would be to make the virtual programming engaging to people who are going through a long period of webinar and Zoom fatigue.

How have you gone about curating this in its hybrid nature to ensure good content, especially without the necessary senses of touch and feel when it comes to viewing art?

I do not think that the physical experience can ever be replicated with the virtual. There is too much of a loss of rasa or the emotive quality of standing before a work of art. A virtual experience can only enhance the physical experience but not replace it. If special art works are created digitally for a virtual experience, only then does the virtual bring in the right degree of the aesthetic experience.

What are some of your key highlights that we should watch out for?

The two key notes by Neil Macgregor and Sarat Chandra Maharaj will be exceptional. I think everything is special and to top it all we are doing it in a bilingual format.

For more information, log onto www.biharmuseumbiennale2021.org