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With 24 hours to go before the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) opens, curator Nikhil Chopra introduced some of the artworks at the Coir Godown and the Bungalow, a part of Aspinwall House, at a walkthrough organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), rather poetically bringing each to life with his word pictures.
This edition of the KMB, themed ‘For the Time Being’, will be officially inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on December 12. For the next 110 days, KMB will be open across venues in Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Willingdon Island, and Ernakulam, showcasing the works of 66 artists from 25 countries.
Mr. Chopra was joined by Mario D’Souza, director of programmes, KMB. The windowless chambers of the Coir Godown come to life with artworks and artists such as Dhiraj Rabha, Kirtika Kain, Birendar Kumar Yadav, Biraaj Dodiya, R.B. Shajith, Zarina Muhammad, Pallavi Paul, Dima Srouji, and Piero Tomassoni and the Panjeri Artists Union among others.
Mr. Chopra, while welcoming the audience to the ‘celebration’, spoke of feeling the presence of the artists in the works and experiencing the works with all of one’s senses, “smell with your eyes, taste with your fingertips, hear with your nose…”
Mr. D’Souza emphasised the concept of friendship economy, with its focus on artist solidarity, collaboration, and shared resources.
While some works are complete, the others are in various stages of getting ready. The artists of Panjeri Artists Union from West Bengal, comprising 14 practitioners, could be seen giving the last touches to their rather elaborate, expansive work, which is collaborative and community-led, speaking of persecution, caste-based violence, linguistic persecution, and climate-induced displacement.
A visitor was overheard saying that there was beauty in seeing the works being made, “there is beauty in the chaos, in the process of making art. So enjoy it!”
At the adjacent Bungalow, the works of Abul Hisham, Sheba Chhachhi, Janet Price, Lionel Wendt, Ali Akbar P.N., Shiraj Bayjoo, Mathew Krishanu, Faiza Hassan, Bhasha Chakrabarti, Smitha Babu, Anja Ibsch, Huma Mulji, Ratna Gupta, Bani Abidi, and Anupama Kundoo were introduced by Mr. Chopra.
A worker paints the text of a participating artist’s work at the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale at Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT
He made a special mention of Bani Abidi and Anupama Kundoo in collaboration with Kudumbashree, calling it one of his favourites. Barakah, their work, a kind of thatched structure made of locally available wood using rope joinery has been imagined as a space where visitors can eat, rest, or enjoy each other’s company.
Kudumbashree will serve a simple Kerala-style lunch here. Mr. Chopra, however, rued the fact that the two Pakistani artists — Huma Mulji and Bani Abidi — could not make it to India. The walkthrough for the day concluded at the Bungalow.
Published – December 12, 2025 12:26 am IST
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