Kochi, Nov 10 (IANS): With an aim to foster cultural engagement between the artist and the local community, internationally acclaimed artist and Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) secretary Riyas Komu is all set to launch the URU Art Harbour near here in Mattanchery on Saturday.

"URU seeks to be a space and create ways in which cultural production, artistic practices and creative forms constitute and manifest the nexus between the aesthetic, the metaphysical, the political, the economic, the moral and the ethical, intended in their widest senses," said Komu, a Mumbai-based artist.

"It is a dream project of mine and my effort with URU Art Harbour is to provide a platform for cultural dialogues for artists as well as local community," added the artist.

The centre's activities will include book publishing, artist residencies, workshops, film screenings and seminars besides holding of art exhibitions, music performances, theatre, and other cultural interventions.

Komu is a multimedia artist and activist working towards developing India's art infrastructure. His critically-acclaimed political works have been exhibited extensively in India and abroad, including several key works on Kerala's political and cultural history.