Greetings once again, this time from a quieter place.

The sixth edition of the Kochi–Muziris Biennale concluded on March 31, 2026. At noon, the Biennale flag at Aspinwall House was ceremoniously lowered, and in the evening, at Durbar Hall Ground, a formal programme of addresses, acknowledgements, and felicitations honoured those who made this edition possible, followed by a concert by the Indian rock band Parvaaz. A small, solid team is now meticulously deinstalling artworks and clearing the venues, many of which will remain on pause until the Biennale returns in December 2027.

Each edition of the Biennale, in retrospect, seems like an improbability miraculously brought to life. This temporary universe is assembled every two years, braving many challenges, ranging from logistical, climatic, and financial to cultural and political, yet held together by a collective insistence that art must thrive despite anything and everything.

We must inevitably return to the cliché – it took a village. A large group of people from diverse trajectories formed Team Biennale 2025–26, not just those already working in the circuits of contemporary art, but also those encountering art at this scale for the first time. The process of collaboration was unparalleled; it went beyond the act of working together and became a continuous process of unlearning and learning, of theories, practices, vocabularies, and perspectives. The work on the ground was sustained by individual and institutional generosity, arriving at crucial moments in the form of both financial contributions and material support.

And then there is the public. We’re delighted to report that we received over 6.6 lakh footfalls this edition. Even in the final weeks of March, when everything in Kerala – air, surfaces, skin, and even conversations – begins to curdle in the sticky summer heat, we had crowds of visitors walking into our venues every day to see the exhibition or attend public programmes.

Close to 250 programmes were held over the last 12 months in and around the Biennale premises. We gathered in the courtyard of Aspinwall House and the lake-facing backyards of Anand Warehouse and 111 Markaz & Cafe several times in March for performances by Anja Ibsch, Teena Lange, Mandakini Trivedi, DJ Khobir, Hussain Mon, Raji V. B., Kenneth Lobo, Nithin Shams, Akshay Hegde, Loopkin, and Masta Justy. On 23 March, a conversation titled ‘Keralam, Kerala, Keralam’, led by Dr PK Michael Tharakan, NS Madhavan and Sunil P Ilayidom, was held at Armaan Cafe & Collective, an Edam venue, exploring Kerala’s historical evolution, the role of language, historical trade networks, and the social dynamics shaping the state today.

The Pavilion hosted an array of programmes—music concerts by Parimal & Imbachi, and Zizkakan, a band from the Reunion Islands; performances by Padma Shri-winning musicians Rewben Mashanva, and Sandeep Singh (with Harmeet Singh) and dancer Narthaki Nataraj; and theatre and dance performances such as Hand of God, Neythe, Thalayezhuthu, a Kolkali performance by Team Durga from Kasaragod, as well as performances by Balakrishnan Raghavan and Compagnia EgriBiancoDanza.

There were also unique gatherings like Animalesque, which brought together artists and writers from across the world whose practice and research focus on the animal world, and Currents and Circulations, which had two parts: the first explored the histories and movements of peoples along the Silk Route, and the second engaged with the intangible dimensions of craft.

We also hosted the final episode of the Photograph as Evidence series, titled Edges of Time, featuring Dakxinkumar Bajrange, Rahaab Allana, and Zuleikha Chaudhary. In addition, we curated film screenings in collaboration with IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala), Emami Art, and the Kirrt Collective, along with individual screenings of films such as Farming the Revolution, directed by Nishtha Jain; Turtle Walker, directed by Taira Malaney; and Ghuspaithiya, directed by Gurvinder Singh.

One of the highlights of the final week of the Biennale was an evening gathering organised by Alice Yard, one of the institutions that were part of our Invitations programme, on 29 March. The gathering brought the spirit of a Caribbean “lime”, an informal gathering of conversation, food, and convivial exchange, into a vibrant programme space. Curated by Ésery Mondésir, the evening featured a series of short film screenings alongside a live performance, and Robert Young, founder of The Cloth, presented a Carnival costume from Trinidad and Tobago.

Our Art By Children (ABC) Art Room conducted over 149 workshops this edition, engaging over 6,000 participants. A total of 25 schools and 10 colleges took part in those workshops, directly engaging over 3,800 students. 

This edition’s Students’ Biennale (SB) brought together some of the most compelling student artworks from across India in an exhibition spread across five venues. The exhibition was complemented by seminars, performances, and conversations that expanded the frame of engagement, marking Sensing Grounds as the most ambitious iteration to date. In the final week of March, SB organised a seminar titled Pedagogies, Possibilities, Precarities, bringing together artists, students, educators, and thinkers in the field of contemporary art. The sessions were live-streamed on our YouTube channel.

Also, we announced the winners of the Tata Trusts Students’ Biennale Awards (national and international) last week.

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