After a period of reflection following a challenging 2022 edition, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is poised for a powerful comeback. The sixth edition of India's premier contemporary art festival, scheduled from 12 December 2025 to 31 March 2026, is set to unfold with a renewed spirit and a collaborative curatorial vision. This year, the focus shifts from a singular event to fostering lasting 'friendship economies' among artists and practitioners.
A Collective Curatorial Vision and Expanded Footprint
Marking a significant departure, the 2025 biennale is not led by a single curator but by a collective effort between artist Nikhil Chopra and HH Arts Spaces from Goa. This edition will sprawl across an impressive 12 new venues, adding to nine existing ones and seven collateral sites. According to Mario D’Souza, Director of Programmes at the Kochi Biennale Foundation, the hiatus allowed the team to build a platform honest to its South Asian context and limitations.
The thematic core, 'for the time being', draws from collective memories, positioning the human body as a vessel of lived history. "Every human is a walking archive," says Nikhil Chopra, emphasizing how personal histories can be both a burden and a liberation. The selection of new venues, including St Andrew’s Parish Hall and the Water Metro, inherently embodies this idea of shared heritage.
Programmes Challenging Norms and Celebrating Process
The biennale's programming is designed to be dynamic and conversational. It moves away from a static exhibition model, with artworks arriving and departing throughout its duration. Highlights include a performance by legendary artist Marina Abramović in February and projects like 'Statues Must Die' by Naeem Mohaiemen.
A major focus this year is on the artistic process itself. This is evident in the return of the Invitations section, which spotlights global artist-run initiatives from Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Palestine, and Indonesia's ruangrupa. The Students Biennale has expanded dramatically to feature 70 projects from 150 art schools nationwide, with curators like Khursheed Ahmed and Salman Bashir bringing forth works from the Himalayan belt that examine ecology and community.
Fostering Ecosystems and Looking Ahead
Central to the 2025 edition is the concept of creating sustainable artistic ecosystems. The curators aim to build networks of collaboration that nourish practitioners well beyond the biennale's four-month run. This philosophy extends to the collateral programme, selected via open call, which includes surveys of artists like Shobha Broota and deeply personal projects such as 'Lilies in the Garden of Tomorrow' by Sarah Chandy, exploring matrilineal memory.
Projects like 'Emperor’s New Clothes' by Monsoon Culture delve into Kerala's layered identity, questioning how value is constructed through material and image while highlighting indigenous narratives. Despite facing logistical challenges, including potential cyclones, the team is committed to presenting cutting-edge art within Kochi's historic spaces. As Chopra describes, the biennale will unfurl like a flower, with different acts peaking at the opening, in February with major performances, and at the closing in March, leaving a lingering fragrance for the future.
