Kochi Biennale to begin in December 2025, Nikhil Chopra and team named curators

After a lot of uncertainty about the sixth edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, it is official that the art event – the biggest in Kerala – will begin next year from December 12, 2025, and go on till March 2026. Renowned artist Nikhil Chopra and his team at HH Art Spaces will be the curators of the next edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, announced Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday, November 20, at an event in Thiruvananthapuram. 

Nikhil Chopra, who had exhibited his work at the Kochi Biennale 10 years ago and won special appreciation for it, is known for his practice of interweaving art with performance. His practice brings together live art, theatre, painting, photography, and sculpture, and his performances deal with the issues of identity. He travels across the world with his work, having exhibited them at the Biennales in Sharjah, Havana, Venice, and having performed at venues in Berlin, New York, Nottingham, Seoul, China, and Norway. He got back from a collaborative work in Paris only weeks ago. 

Nikhil also founded the HH Art Spaces in Goa in 2014, with performance artists Romain Loustau and Madhavi Gore. It is a movement that includes the vision and work of a collective of artists and cultural practitioners. 

The 2025 edition of the Kochi Biennale will feature the work of 60 artists and artistic practices from across India and other countries. 

In recent years, the Kochi Biennale has been facing funding issues and concerns regarding the main venue of the event, the AspinWall House, which is a heritage building owned by the DLF group in Fort Kochi. The last edition of the Biennale had to be postponed by days when the venues were not ready by the scheduled date of the launch, causing difficulties to the artists and tourists who had travelled for it. 

Earlier this year, there was uncertainty over the sixth edition which was expected to begin in December 2024. In the months that followed, the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) board of trustees began a restructuring process after which Dr V Venu, who was holding the post of Chief Secretary, was appointed as the chairperson of the Biennale. Known for his interest in theatre and performing arts, Venu took over in September. Bose Krishnamachari, founder of the Biennale since its launch in 2012, remains the president of the KMB. 

This is the second time that the Biennale – held once in two years since 2012 – misses a year. The first break came during the COVID-19 pandemic.