The journey to Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2027-28 has officially begun!

Jitish Kallat, President of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, announced artist and curator Kader Attia as the curator for the Seventh Edition of the Biennale at a special KMB event held in Venice on May 8. The announcement was followed by a conversation between Kallat and Attia, signaling the start of a new curatorial chapter. To mark the occasion, a parallel gathering was held in Kochi, bringing together members of the press, trustees, advisors, and the wider Biennale community.

Attia was selected by a committee chaired by Jitish Kallat. Its members were Shilpa Gupta, Amrita Jhaveri, Pooja Sood, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Mariam Ram, and Rirkrit Tiravanija.

Attia is an artist, curator, and professor at HFBK Hamburg. Born in Dugny, France, in 1970, he is internationally recognised for a practice that engages deeply with questions of history, memory, repair, and the enduring legacies of colonialism. Working across installation, sculpture, film, and archival research, Attia has developed a body of work that brings together artistic, anthropological, and philosophical inquiry.

As the curator of the Seventh Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Attia will begin curatorial research towards developing the framework for the 2027–2028 edition, with Kochi as a vital point of departure within a wider field of artistic, historical, and contemporary inquiry. 

Welcoming Attia, Jitish said: “Kader Attia brings to the Biennale artistic depth, curatorial openness, and a strong pedagogic sensibility. The committee was drawn to the poetic range and generative potential of his proposal, and to the flexible curatorial framework it offered for bringing multiple artistic practices, histories, and publics into meaningful relation in Kochi. Attia previously participated in the 2014 edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. We look forward to the ways in which his curatorial vision will take shape in Kochi.”

Speaking on his appointment, Attia said, "Ever since I visited Kochi for the first time, I have dreamed of coming back and building connections between the many intertwined influences that are at the core of this so culturally multi-layered city. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this desire to life on the scale of a biennial, together with the fantastic team of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, for its Seventh Edition. Dreams repair us, like Art… and the Biennale, as well as Kerala, will give us the space-time to reclaim our sovereignty over our dreams."

“The Sixth Edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale was remarkable in many ways. It reaffirmed the Biennale’s role as a vibrant space for dialogue, imagination, and inclusiveness. The announcement of the new curator, Kader Attia, marks the beginning of a fresh artistic journey—one that will continue to challenge, inspire, and connect global voices with our local realities. We are committed to building on this legacy with new ideas, deeper engagements, and bold artistic explorations, while remaining rooted in Kochi’s unique cultural fabric,” said Dr Venu V, the Chairperson of the Foundation. “Each Biennale is, in fact, a new conversation with the world. I fervently hope the Seventh Edition will open an exciting new chapter for the ‘People’s Biennale’,” he added.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the selection committee, trustees, advisors, and supporters. We also thank everyone who joined us in Venice, Kochi, and online for this milestone. 

Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the first and largest contemporary art Biennale in India, is organised by Kochi Biennale Foundation, a non-profit organisation established in 2010 in Kochi. The Sixth Edition of the Biennale, curated by artist Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, concluded on March 31, 2026. More details about the Seventh Edition of the Biennale will be announced in the coming months.

Warm regards,
Team Kochi Biennale Foundation

Read the announcement here.