The Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) is set to launch its most expansive edition yet, transforming the port city into a sprawling canvas of contemporary art beginning December 12, 2025.
For its sixth edition, Asia’s largest contemporary art festival will expand across 28 venues—a significant increase from previous years—incorporating a diverse architectural mix ranging from colonial-era heritage sites to repurposed industrial warehouses.
The 110-day event, titled “For the Time Being,” will run through March 31, 2026. It is curated by multidisciplinary artist Nikhil Chopra in collaboration with HH Art Spaces, a Goa-based artist-led organization.
Expansion to 28 Venues
The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) confirmed that this year’s festival will activate 12 new locations in addition to nine existing venues and seven collateral sites. The exhibition map now stretches across Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Willingdon Island, and Ernakulam, with the city’s Water Metro service providing connectivity between key clusters.
The selected spaces reflect the region’s layered history. Iconic mainstays like Aspinwall House, Pepper House, and Durbar Hall return, while new additions include the Jail of Freedom Struggle and St. Andrew’s Parish Hall in Fort Kochi.
In Mattancherry, the festival has repurposed several commercial and industrial spaces, including the BMS Warehouse, Simi Warehouse, and Devassy Jose and Sons.
“We have selected the venues in such a way that it resonates with the theme, wherein art is a process, dynamic and shape-shifting,” said Dr. Venu V, Chairperson of the Kochi Biennale Foundation. “From Durbar Hall in Ernakulam to the venues in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and Willingdon Island, each space is an exploration of time, space and life.”
Curatorial Vision and Programming
The sixth edition will feature 66 artists and collectives from over 20 countries, including 50 new commissions. The curatorial team has emphasized a shift away from static display toward “living” art.
“We move away from the idea of the Biennale as a singular, central exhibition-event, and instead envision it as a living ecosystem,” the curators noted in a joint statement. They described the edition as “an invitation to embrace process as methodology.”
Beyond the main exhibition, the festival will host several parallel verticals:
- Students’ Biennale: Curated by student artists from seven regions across India, hosted at venues like Arthshila and St. Andrew’s Parish Hall.
- Edam: A curated showcase of 36 artists and collectives with roots in Kerala.
- Art By Children (ABC): An art education initiative aimed at democratic access.
- Invitations & Residency Programmes: Designed to foster international collaboration.
The expansion into functional and historic trading spaces on Willingdon Island, such as the Island Warehouse, underscores the Biennale’s engagement with Kochi’s identity as a maritime hub.
The festival opens to the public on December 12, 2025.
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
