He will both physically throw water on the installation, and incorporate video of flowing water, to represent the destruction of the city.

"It's about a certain fragility of this quiet, thriving port town, of which little is actually known," he says. The hope is that they'll draw attention not only to Kerala's artistic heritage, but to its historic one as well.

In many ways, Kochi makes a lot of sense as the destination for the country's first biennale. Kerala seems to have birthed a large proportion of artists over the years, including K.C.S. Panicker, considered by many the father of Indian abstract painting, and Raja Ravi Varma, one of the first Indian artists to gain notoriety outside the subcontinent.

"Just why Kerala produces so many artists seems to be a very popular question," notes Dorrie Younger, co-founder of the Kashi Art Café, the city's first gallery.

"It's most likely due to a combination of a high standard of living, the political climate, tolerance for opposing ideology, and a long history of foreign visitors."

Riyas Komu, one of the organisers for the festival, also gives credit to Kerala's political climate.

"There's a long tradition of activism here, and there's always been a very vocal dialogue between political parties. For artists, the most important thing is that they have the capacity to be argumentative."

One of the participants, Ubik, is a Kerala-born artist who has since relocated to Dubai. On a recent research trip to the area, he discovered the extent that politics has shaped his paintings.

"Growing up, I'd always see communist propaganda messages all over the walls. It's an aspect that's seeped into my work, and strangely enough, it only now kind of makes sense to me. I do a lot of text-based paintings, and I was always quite curious about where that came from. Now I know."

Like many artists that hail from the region, Ubik hasn't stayed put. He notes that one reason Kerala's artists seem to flock to other countries is a lack of museums and galleries.