Creating an Art Route: A talk by Riyas Komu
In ‘Creating an Art Route’, artist and curator Riyas Komu reflects on the routes and roots he has chosen in his own practice, alongside the artistic pathways he has helped create for others. Drawing on his work as an artist, his role in establishing the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and his collaborative cultural projects, he explores how personal artistic journeys connect with the creation of spaces for art, research and public engagement. All are welcome to attend.
ArtsLab: South Asian Coastal Connections and Disconnections seminar series
Date: Friday 18 September 2026
Time: 13:30 - 15:00
Venue: Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre, Room 223
Category: Academic events
Speaker: Riyas Komu
Riyas Komu was born in Kerala, India, in 1971. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (1997) and Master of Fine Arts (1999) from the Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai.
An artist and curator, Komu has exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale. His paintings, sculptures, videos, photographs and installations deal with war, migration, civilisational memory, displacement, violence, betrayal, history, conflict, multiculturalism, football and the Indian Constitution.
Komu conceived the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and co-founded the Kochi Biennale Foundation. He co-curated the inaugural biennale in 2012 and, as director of programmes, developed it as a multidisciplinary educational project. In 2016, he co-founded URU Art Harbour, a cultural hub in Mattancherry, Kochi, which supports artists from the region whose work engages with Kerala’s history, local culture and maritime traditions.
In 2012, he co-curated India’s first International Football Film Festival, presented at the Goa International Film Festival and the Trivandrum International Film Festival. His critically acclaimed solo projects include Faith Accompli (2005), exploring religious fundamentalism; Related List (2008), addressing war, civilisational crisis and displacement; and Holy Shiver (2018), examining conflict and the art of the Indian Constitution.
In 2019, Komu curated the Kondotty Sufi Festival in Malappuram, Kerala. In 2022, he co-founded Aazhi Archives with a group of academics and scholars. He is currently artistic director at The Ishara House, Kochi, for the exhibition Amphibian Aesthetics and Sea a Boiling Vessel, an ongoing research project bringing together knowledge, art and people.