As we begin building towards the seventh edition of the Kochi–Muziris Biennale (2027–28), we hosted our first Meet the Curator event in Kochi on 16 September. Kader Attia, the internationally acclaimed Algerian-French artist and curator of the seventh edition, addressed the press and spoke about a practice spanning more than two decades, engaging with questions of memory, history, repair and the continuing legacies of colonialism.

Kader’s presentation interlaced personal memories of growing up in an Algerian immigrant family in a working-class neighbourhood of Paris with wider histories of migration and the effects of colonialism across cultures. He was subsequently joined in conversation by Jitish Kallat, President of the Kochi–Muziris Biennale, for an exchange that moved from the meanings of repair to ideas of entropy and decay, including the ways nature reclaims the Biennale’s spaces once the crowds leave and the artworks are dismantled. The conversation coincided with the beginning of Kader’s research and site visits in Kochi, as he began encountering possible venues and the social, historical and cultural contexts within which the next Biennale will take shape.

In the coming months, Kader’s conversations and research will continue across four cities. On 15 October, he and Jitish will be in conversation with Shanay Jhaveri at the Barbican Centre, London, followed by a conversation with Ari Gautier at KADIST Paris on 24 October. On 14 November at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai, Kader will make the first public presentation of the curatorial ideas shaping the seventh Kochi–Muziris Biennale, followed by a conversation with Jitish. He will speak at the Pune International Centre on 15 November.

Entry is free at all venues, although seating is limited in London and Paris. Please RSVP at 

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