Kochi Muziris Biennale: What to expect

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Founded in 2010 by the Kochi Biennale Foundation, Kochi Muziris Biennale is India’s first and largest International exhibition of Contemporary Art. Kochi Biennale sixth edition titled ‘For the Time Being’ is curated by multi disciplinary artist Nikhil Chopra along with HH Art spaces, an artist led organization based in Goa. The biennale opened on 12th December, 2025 and features about 66 projects from 25 countries with main focus on envisioning a living, evolving and responsive art, ecosystem that prioritizes process, friendship and collaboration over biennale models. 

 
      Courtesy: www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org

This year’s edition centres around emerging a global perspective by bringing together artists from across India and the world, the biennale presents works spanning diverse mediums and disciplines. The idea is to present biennale as a living eco system rather than a singular exhibition where each element shares space, time and resources and grows in dialogue with each other. 

The biennale takes place in Kochi, a historic city where trade once connected distant worlds, the rootedness of the place allows the conventional biennale model as a spectacle and instead shape something that is revolving, responsive and alive. The biennale unfolds across an unprecedented 28 venues, 12 new spaces added alongside the existing 16, extending from fort kochi’s colonial architecture to Mattancherry’s historic warehouse and willingdon Island’s contemporary structures. 

Many forms of liveliness- performances, actions and conversations will bring alive the 110 days of biennale. Durational works that blur process and presentation will invite audiences into embodies; participatory moments challenging a static exhibition, a place where people come together not just to see art, but to be with it and each other.

This year’s edition centres around emerging a global perspective by bringing together artists from across India and the world, the biennale presents works spanning diverse mediums and disciplines. The idea is to present biennale as a living eco system rather than a singular exhibition where each element shares space, time and resources and grows in dialogue with each other. 

The biennale takes place in Kochi, a historic city where trade once connected distant worlds, the rootedness of the place allows the conventional biennale model as a spectacle and instead shape something that is revolving, responsive and alive. The biennale unfolds across an unprecedented 28 venues, 12 new spaces added alongside the existing 16, extending from fort kochi’s colonial architecture to Mattancherry’s historic warehouse and willingdon Island’s contemporary structures. 

Many forms of liveliness- performances, actions and conversations will bring alive the 110 days of biennale. Durational works that blur process and presentation will invite audiences into embodies; participatory moments challenging a static exhibition, a place where people come together not just to see art, but to be with it and each other.

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