Aazhi Archives

Aazhi Archives
ആഴി ആർക്കൈവ്‌സ്
GenreThe collective engages in education and art projects through research, art-making, writing, curating, and publications.
LocationsKochi, Kerala, India
Founded2022
Websiteaazhiarchives.org

Aazhi Archives,[1] founded in 2022 is a collective of artists, writers, and scholars based in Cochin, Kerala, India. The collective engages in education and art projects through research, art-making, writing, curating, and publications. It aims to bring artists and scholars into creative dialogue to explore the cosmopolitan pasts and traditions of the Kerala region. Conceived as both a physical and a digital audio-visual archive, Aazhi Archives documents Kerala's history, culture, politics, and society.[2][3]

History

Aazhi Archives [4] was established in 2022 by a collective of artists, writers, and scholars based in Cochin, Kerala with Riyas Komu[5][6] as its artistic director. The initiative was conceived as a platform to foster collaboration between creative practitioners and researchers, with a focus on exploring Kerala's cosmopolitan past and cultural traditions,.[7][8]

The Archives was envisioned both as a physical space and a digital audio-visual archive, documenting Kerala's history, politics, society, and culture. From its inception, the project emphasized interdisciplinary approaches—combining art-making, writing, research, curation, and education.[9] The project marked the beginning of Aazhi Archives’ efforts to create a sustained platform for artistic and academic engagement with Kerala's histories and its interconnectedness with the wider world.[10]

Sea A Boiling Vessel

The collective's first major initiative, Sea- A Boiling Vessel,[11][12] opened on 13 December 2022 in Fort Kochi and ran until 30 April 2023. This global art project drew on Kerala's maritime [13] history and the metaphor of the sea as a “boiling vessel,” framing the ocean as a site of exchange, migration, and cultural imagination.[14] Sea—A Boiling Vessel was curated by Aazhi Archives & Uru Art Harbour [15][16][17] with academic collaboration from institutions such as Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), I-Shore, the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and the Nirox Foundation.[18] As part of the initiative, the project hosted residencies, seminars, workshops, and exhibitions, bringing together artists, thinkers, and writers to engage with maritime histories and to generate new cultural, artistic, and political imaginaries.[19][20]

References

  1. ↑ The Hindu. "Tribal children showcase a mural painting at 'Sea: A Boiling Vessel' by Aazhi Archives in Kochi". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "Outlook : Art that penetrate the sea (Aswath)". The Malabar Journal. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  3. ↑ What Does It Mean To Survive A Fractured World? Asks An Upcoming Kochi Exhibition, Homegrown, 27 November 2025, retrieved 3 December 2025
  4. ↑ 'Aazhi' art exhibition highlights Muziris historical legacy (Chicago), UNI India, 9 January 2026, retrieved 19 October 2025
  5. ↑ Deepak, Sukant (29 April 2023). "Riyas Komu, the sea, and the endless vessel called the Constitution". National Herald India. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Ullekh NP (31 March 2023). "Riyas Komu brings together history, geography and migrations in a multidisciplinary show". Ullekh NP. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  7. ↑ Ilias, M.H. (14 January 2023). "Buried Monologues: An Art Project Integrating Archaeology and Aesthetics". The Wire. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  8. ↑ The Week (18 January 2023). "Sea is the centrepiece of this art project that explores Kerala's past and present". The Week. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Cambridge Visual Culture (9 June 2023). "Sea: A Boiling Vessel – Oceanic Imaginations of Kerala's History". Cambridge Visual Culture. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  10. ↑ The Hindu. "KR Sunil: Kochi, Muziris Biennale, Chavittu Nadakam artists, Chellanam, Kerala rising sea levels, A Boiling Vessel, Aazhi Archives, Mattancherry photographer". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  11. ↑ Shahina K. K. (11 April 2023). "See The Sea". Outlook India. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  12. ↑ The Week (18 January 2023). "Sea is the centrepiece of this art project that explores Kerala's past and present". The Week. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  13. ↑ Ullekh NP (31 March 2023). "Riyas Komu brings together history, geography and migrations in a multidisciplinary show". Ullekh NP. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  14. ↑ Sayed, Nida (20 July 2025). "Stamping through storm: Dance to safeguard Kerala coast & culture". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  15. ↑ Thampi, Anitha (15 October 2017). "Me, My Self, Mattancherry". The Indian Express. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Priyadershini, S. (7 September 2017). "A tale of three cities: Urban Design Collective, a group of architects and urban planners, deconstructs the socio-civic story of Mattancherry". The Hindu. The Hindu Group. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  17. ↑ "Mattancherry Makeover: URU Art Harbour's new exhibition is a wake up call for Kochi". Architectural Digest India. 12 August 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  18. ↑ Express News Service (6 January 2025). "Malabar Indo-Portuguese Creole faces extinction, says linguist from Lisbon". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  19. ↑ Mathews, Anna (21 October 2024). "Gurupriya Atreya & Vendanth Bharadwaj have created a lullaby repertoire of 400 songs". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  20. ↑ Joseph PX, Krispin (4 February 2023). "Sea A Historical Boiling Vessel". Abirpothi. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
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