Global South: Masks, myths and the many worlds in between

The Bihar Biennale merges global south-histories, performances and art forms, creating a lively platform for cultural solidarity and exchange, writes Kavita Kanan Chandra.

A smile, a scowl, a smirk, a steady stare — or no expression at all — as you wander among masks drawn from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Demons and divine beings, sacred icons, ritual objects, and theatre props; masks that animate shamanic practices, mythic tales, and ceremonial traditions. From India’s Chhau masks to Africa’s animal forms, this ancient art continues to astonish and enthral.

“As unique, handcrafted objects, these masks embody aesthetic and symbolic values rooted in ancestral origins. They hold the essence of the distinctive cultures of the global south, bridging the past and the present,” says Anjani Kumar Singh, Director General, Bihar Museum.

A mask on display. (Pic by author)

‘Global South: Sharing Histories’ is the theme of the third Bihar Biennale, gathering museums and cultural institutions across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. It stands apart for centring museums themselves, notes Deputy Director Ashok Kumar Sinha, rather than following the path of conventional art biennales.

Patna’s Bihar Museum is earning global attention for its efforts to transform the museum into a lively, evolving space instead of a static archive of objects. Dr Alka Pande, the Academic Director and editor of the biennale, highlights the crucial shift from museums as neutral repositories to vibrant sites for cross-cultural engagement.

The Bihar Biennale nurtures solidarity across the Global South through scholarly exchanges, cultural conversations, and exhibitions shaped by shared histories of colonisation, migration, trade, and centuries of cultural interchange.

For art lovers, it offers a chance to experience ongoing displays of paintings, sculptures, pottery, photographs, and installations from the global south.

The striking logo of the third biennale, designed by artist Sachindra Nath Jha, weaves together the natural and cultural motifs of three continents: the African Baobab crowned with Asia’s peepul leaves, its trunk adorned with the bold Otomi textile of South America, and textured with the traditional Peruvian lliclla.

It draws visitors and artists alike — young Ethiopian artists pause eagerly for photos with it. Yet it is their contemporary art that truly casts its spell on the walls. Mihiretu Wassie works with colourful buttons and leather scraps to craft portraits in collage; her button portrait of Gandhi and a lion fashioned from leather fragments are particularly striking. Surafel Amare’s mixed-media canvases layer texture, colour, and material to explore reality through the lens of personal experience.

Indonesia’s exhibition and the dance performances that opened the biennale reveal how fully the Ramayana has been embraced in Indonesian art. Two millennia of shared history flow through maritime trade, temple architecture, Sanskrit traces in Bahasa, and the enduring epics of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The Ramayana’s reach extends far beyond Indonesia, touching Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. The exhibition Vishwaroop Ram celebrates this global legacy. Malaysia’s Ramayana Wayang Kulit (shadow theatre), Cambodia’s Hanuman paintings, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Ravana headgear for Ramleela are among the many Ramayana-inspired traditions featured from around 20 countries.

From Peru’s pottery to Sri Lanka’s oil paintings, the biennale spans art and culture from Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, and more. Visitors encounter rich textiles, accessories, and replicas of Andean pottery and Inca ceramics, Pablo Katlirevsky’s photographic journey through Argentina, and an exhibition exploring Ecuador’s heritage as the cradle of cacao.

Three Indian institutions also present exhibitions. The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi, showcases artists reflecting on colonisation, resistance, and shared solidarity. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and Rajasthan’s Mehrangarh Fort Museum display miniature paintings depicting the divine manifestations of ‘Shakti — the supreme Goddess’.

The Bihar Biennale is drawing artists, curators, scholars, cultural institutions, ambassadors, and art enthusiasts. Its mission to reshape collective understanding across the global south resonates strongly with visitors.

The Biennale continues until December 31, 2025, in Patna.