Sixth edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale opens on Friday

The sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), claimed to be the largest contemporary art festival in India, will open on Friday with the hoisting of the Biennale flag at Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi at noon, while Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will formally inaugurate the international exhibition at Parade Ground in the evening.

The latest edition of the KMB, organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), will be spread across 22 venues, in addition to seven collateral events. The 110-day event will conclude on March 31, 2026, according to the organisers.

Curated by Goa-based artist Nikhil Chopra along with his art collective HH Art Spaces, this edition has ‘For the Time Being’ as its curatorial theme. “This edition of KMB is oriented around the body as a bearer of memory and materiality. The ‘body’ extends metaphorically into Kochi’s landscape, built on human and non-human movements,” according to Mr. Chopra.

The exhibition features works by 66 artists/collectives from 25 countries, alongside a range of parallel shows. The KBF has stated that this time the art jamboree seeks to move away from the idea of a singular and central venue.

For the first time since the launch of the event in 2012, majority of the exhibits will be outside of the iconic Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi — a key location along with the adjacent Mattancherry, the KBF said in a statement.

“Besides the established Durbar Hall Gallery in Ernakulam, the biennale this time introduces a venue beyond the mainland: Island Warehouse on Willingdon Island, accessible by crossing the Water Metro, ferry or by road,” the statement said.

Ahead of the event, the organisers have exuded confidence that more number of venues this time will encourage visitors to spend more time with artworks.

Addressing a pre-event press briefing on Wednesday, KBF chairperson Venu. V. said the show has been scaled up this time, backed by a clean-up of the account books and recruitment of senior hands.

KMB president Bose Krishnamachari highlighted the biennale’s character as a deeply participatory, community-rooted celebration of contemporary art. “The expanded venues, new formats and partnerships underline our responsibility to nurture artistic freedom and public engagement,” he said.

A Thayambaka recital by chenda percussionist Margi Rahitha Krishnadas and her team will be performed ahead of the flag hoisting ceremony on Friday.

The inauguration will be followed by a public concert by the Shanka Tribe featuring Neha Nair, Resmi Satheesh and Shahabaz Aman.

The opening day will also feature performances by KMB participating artists Mónica de Miranda, Zarina Muhammad and Mandeep Raikhy, among others.

KMB-6 will simultaneously feature exhibitions and verticals such as Invitations, Students’ Biennale, Art By Children, and Edam from December 13 till the end of the biennale. The Students’ Biennale 2025-26 will be held at VKL Warehouse at Mattancherry, presenting projects by student artists from over 175 art institutions in the country.

Durbar Hall will feature ‘Of Worlds, Within Worlds,’ a solo show by Gulammohammed Sheikh, curated by Rubina Karode, and presented by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA). The exhibition Edam, curated by Aishwarya Suresh and K.M. Madhusudhanan, will be held across three venues on Bazaar Road at Mattancherry.

A photography-based installation titled ‘Six Stations of a Life Pursued’ (2022), which is a special project on the late Vivan Sundaram, will be exhibited at Cube Art Space, Mattancherry.

An Island Mural Project, aiming to bring art and ideas to public spaces in conversation with communities and regional histories, is another highlight of KMB-6, the organisers said. Performances, conversations, lecture-presentations and concerts will take place across the biennale and partner venues throughout the opening week.