If you’ve lived in the city for any length of time, and have been engaged in the arts, education or public life, chances are you’ve seen many diplomats and cultural ambassadors coming and going. Probably you too might have got a chance to interact with many of them.
In the last three decades I have lived in Chennai, there have been many people who have had a profound impact on the city and its residents. One of them, and someone who arguably deserves to be at the top end of that list, was unquestionably Helmut Schippert.
Helmut Schippert Photo Courtesy: Gayatri Nair
With his long flowing hair, his reflective egalitarianism, and his interest in looking beyond the issues of the city’s socio-economic elite, Helmut was a genius. Fresh wind. There was a childlike curiosity, an unflinching wide-eyed wonder that he brought to the table – in his conversations, in his approach to life and in the many projects he conceived and executed.
access for all
When I followed Helmut Schippert as a director in 2020, I got to know him through the projects he started and the people who shared their memories with me. I got to know a colleague who was as passionate about culture as he was about human beings and their living conditions. He was inspired by the idea of ​​creating accessibility for all: whether it be culture in public spaces or sustainable water management for the city. His enthusiasm for these subjects allowed him to connect with like-minded people from different walks of life and create structures and institutions such as the Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB), which continues to enrich the cultural landscape in Chennai.
Katharina Gorgen, Director, Goethe-Institut Chennai
It is perhaps not surprising that the news of his shocking and sudden death shocked many of us in Chennai. As director of the Goethe-Institut between 2014 and 2020, he impacted the lives of many people – opening up opportunities for artists, photographers, writers, musicians, environmentalists and others. During his time here, Helmut never gave the impression that he was here to represent or showcase German culture in the city. His work was based on the idea that his institution could make a meaningful contribution to the city and its residents through debate (dissent when necessary) and socio-cultural collaboration.
(From left) Composers Theodore Flindell, VS Narasimhan, Helmut Schippert, Ana Maria Rodriguez, Ramesh Vinayakam and Theo Nabicht at the Goethe Institute, Chennai in 2016. Photo Courtesy: Pichumani K
Understanding Chennai and Tamil Nadu during his stay was like an obsession. For example, a conversation with them about a river project may suddenly turn into a discussion about politics or Indian music. The importance he placed on feeling ‘connected’ was evident even before he reached Chennai. Hearing about his posting, one of the many things he did was to try and appreciate what must have been a very foreign art genre to his ears – Carnatic music.
Helmut Schippert with Varun Gupta | Photo Courtesy: Gayatri Nair
His engagement with civil society groups and movements was in line with his decision to make water one of the central issues in Indo-German cultural exchange. This was done in a myriad of ways. More than a dozen artists participated in the Embrace Our Rivers project, an exhibition in 2018 to raise awareness about Chennai’s polluted waterways. It was held at the Academy of Fine Arts, but Helmut – who was a firm believer in public art – had originally advocated allowing it to be held on the banks of the Koome near the island grounds. Had he had his way, a barge would have done a great job. Unfortunately, the necessary permissions were never completed. He was instrumental in the collaborative city of 1000 tanks project, which aimed, among other things, at rainwater harvesting, waste water treatment and recharging aquifers.
Putting Chennai on the map
Helmut Schippert was special to Chennai for the cultural foundation he built – from co-founding the Chennai Photo Biennale to initiating the March Dance and South Asian Music residencies. He opened doors for countless artists, strengthened the city’s creative spirit, and left a lasting mark through initiatives like Embrace Our Rivers and the landmark exhibition DAMnedArt.
He was also one of the authors ofEmbrace Our Rivers: Public Art and Ecology in IndiaThis is the first book of its kind in the country, an important work that reflects the urgent need for creative collaboration towards public art, ecology and urban sustainability.
Geeta Vedraman, Cultural Coordinator, Goethe-Institut Chennai
There were also other major initiatives including a collaborative platform for musicians under the South Asian Music Residency and the street art festival Conquer the Concrete, which showcased the collaboration of five international artists with street artists and cinema hoarding painters.
Helmut Schippert (centre) with Shashi Kumar (right) at a panel discussion at the Asian College of Journalism. Photo Credit: Karunakaran M
But I believe his major initiative was the Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB), run by the CPB Foundation, of which he was the founder trustee. It was born as a result of Helmut asking photographer Chennai Photo Biennale director Varun Gupta, ‘What would you really like to do?’. When Varun replied that he would really like to organize a photography festival, Helmut replied with ‘Let’s go’. He raised the money for it and the Biennale, which has had four editions, has become the leading festival of photography in the country.
a force of nature
Helmut was a visionary who believed deeply in the power of art to bring about positive change. My first meeting with him remains etched in my mind: we found ourselves imagining a new future for public art in Chennai, and from that conversation CPB was born. In the early days of bringing our pilot version to life, Helmut was always available – even late at night, in high-stress moments – calmly proofreading the brochures and maps that were about to be printed the next morning. A defining memory in the history of CPB comes from their office, where we were designing the logo for our first edition. With a cheeky smile, he scratched the word ‘festival’ on the whiteboard and replaced it with biennial, adding, “Let’s challenge ourselves. Let’s call it a biennial.” His presence in Chennai changed the lives of countless artists – and changed the course of my own life forever. For all this and more, I am deeply grateful.
Varun Gupta, Director, Chennai Photo Biennale and Managing Trustee, CPB Foundation
The Biennale attempted to include people from all social and economic walks of life, which was in line with Helmut’s vision. An example of his desire to connect beyond the elite is the exhibition on urban water. Staged at the Lighthouse MRTS station, it saw him spend hours talking to fishermen and explaining the purpose of what he was doing.
That was during the first edition of the Chennai Photo Biennale. Unfortunately, India’s rules regarding charitable trusts and foreign nationals forced Helmut to step down from running the foundation. She continued to play an advisory role and the Goethe Institut, now headed by Katharina Görgen, remains the largest and most important supporter of the Biennale.
football and more
Helmut had many hobbies like music, reading, cycling and yoga, and he was also fond of eating sweets, especially ice cream. Referred to as HS, the Helmut Goethe-Institut was synonymous with water projects and CPB in Chennai. He also took keen interest in language projects and played a key role in the Water Walkathon, in which more than 4,500 school students participated in the early hours of November 2017.
Helmut was an avid football fan and opened the Goethe-Institut for public viewing of FIFA World Cup matches in 2015 and promoted Goethe Super League matches organized by Goethe-Institut Chennai. She met the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, along with the winners of the girls’ tournament who were sent to Germany for a week for training. His major achievement was to organize the Regional Annual Conference for the South Asia Region in Chennai for the first time in 2017, where all the Directors of the Region along with Secretary General Eberhard were present in Chennai.
Prabhakar Narayanan, Deputy Director, Goethe-Institut Chennai
After Helmut stepped down I was invited to join the board of the CPB Foundation. I am fully aware that it is impossible to fill his shoes, but if the Biennale, which is planned and executed by some very fine young people, could be sustained and developed in the years to come, it would be the greatest tribute to Helmut. This would be a way for the city to give back what it has given it.
published – December 02, 2025 05:34 PM IST