Exhibition 'Like Gold' Explores Cultural Significance of Gold at Kochi-Muziris Biennale

The collateral exhibition 'പൊന്നുപോലെ / Like Gold' at the 2025 Kochi-Muziris Biennale examines gold's multifaceted role in South Asian and Gulf societies. Curated by Murtaza Vali and produced by the UAE-based Rizq Art Initiative, the show features 23 artists primarily from or connected to India and the United Arab Emirates. The exhibition investigates gold's cultural, social, and economic dimensions, moving beyond its monetary value to consider its significance in migration, labor, and identity formation. Works span painting, sculpture, installation, textiles, photography, and video. Key pieces include Vikram Divecha's 'Roof/Structures (Gems and Jewelry, Fast Food)' (2025), which repurposes billboard tarpaulins from Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road to critique consumerism, and Indu Antony's 'I Brought Her Up Like Gold' (2021), exploring familial expectations through personal artifacts. The exhibition highlights gold's connection to migration patterns between India and the Gulf, where it serves as an alternative form of security for workers lacking citizenship prospects. It also addresses the invisibility of South Asian contributions to Gulf art histories, referencing artist Vivek Vilasini's early work in Sharjah. The show runs until March 31, presenting gold as a complex symbol of desire, labor, and cultural exchange across borders.