M.I.A to perform at Kochi art show

Kochi: M.I.A., Britain's popular singer and painter of Sri Lankan descent, will perform at a concert as well as showcase her artwork at international art show Kochi-Muziris Biennale in this Kerala city next month.

"I want to take art out of galleries and make it accessible to the people, specially children," said 37-year-old Mathangi 'Maya' Arulpragasam, who uses the name M.I.A (Missing In Action).

The three-month Kochi Biennale will see 88 artists from around 35 countries, including 40 from India, exhibiting artworks created with mediums such as films, paintings, sculptures, new media and performance art.

M.I.A, who was nominated for a Grammy Award, will perform on the inaugural day of the show on December 12. It will be her first stage show in India.

"Getting nominated for Grammy was fulfillment of the American Dream. The Indian Dream is to bring into focus the concerns for ecology and environment as well as inclusive development," M.I.A told reporters here on Wednesday.

"Like music, I would like to bridge the gap between the east and west through art forms," said M.I.A., who is named as one of "the world's 100 most influential people" by Time magazine.

M.I.A, whose songs combine elements of electronic, dance, alternative, hip hop and world music, will release a new single in December.

Her recent single "Bad Girls" has garnered millions of hits on YouTube.