Every few years, Kochi transforms.

Its old warehouses, ferry points, streets, and shorelines begin to speak a new language — one of contemporary art, collective memory, and shared presence. The sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2025–26), titled “For the Time Being,” is currently unfolding across the city, inviting visitors from around the world to slow down, observe, and exist in the moment.

Running from December 12, 2025, to March 31, 2026, this edition of the Biennale once again reaffirms Kochi’s place as one of Asia’s most important cultural destinations.

“For the Time Being”: A Biennale That Lives and Breathes

Curated by artist Nikhil Chopra in collaboration with HH Art Spaces, the 2025–26 Biennale moves away from the idea of a static exhibition. Instead, it presents itself as a living ecosystem — one that values process, collaboration, and presence over permanence.

The theme, For the Time Being, reflects Kochi’s own nature as a historic port city where cultures, people, and ideas have always flowed in and out. Nothing here is fixed — everything is evolving. The Biennale mirrors this rhythm, asking visitors not just to view art, but to experience it as something unfolding in real time.

Rather than loud spectacle, the curatorial approach emphasizes “poetics before politics,” allowing artworks to quietly address contemporary realities through material, movement, and memory.

Art Across the City: Venues That Tell Stories

One of the most striking aspects of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is how seamlessly art blends into the city itself.

This edition features 66 artists and collectives from 25 countries, spread across approximately 22 venues in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, and Willingdon Island. Repurposed colonial-era warehouses, heritage buildings, and public spaces become part of the artwork, carrying layers of history into the present.

Walking between venues often feels as meaningful as the exhibitions themselves — ferry rides, narrow streets, cafés, and sea views become part of the Biennale experience.

Highlights from Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025–26

Some of the most talked-about works this year include:

• Ibrahim Mahama’s Parliament of Ghosts — a powerful installation created from stitched jute sacks, embedding global trade histories into material form.
• Niroj Satpathy’s Dhalan — constructed from accumulated waste sourced from Delhi landfills, reflecting on consumption, surveillance, and urban excess.
• “Of Worlds Within Worlds”, a retrospective of works by artist, poet, and pedagogue Gulammohammed Sheikh, offering layered narratives of culture, time, and belonging.
• Time-based and performance works by artists such as Tino Sehgal, Pallavi Paul, and Mandeep Raikhy, emphasizing live, ephemeral encounters that exist only in the moment.

In addition to the main exhibition, the Biennale includes collateral programs, the Students’ Biennale, Edam (focused on Kerala artists), talks, performances, and educational initiatives, making it deeply rooted in both local and global conversations.

A People’s Biennale, Rooted in Kochi

At its heart, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale remains a people’s biennale.

It is shaped by collaboration, local participation, volunteers, artists, students, and visitors who come together not just to consume art, but to engage with ideas. The Biennale’s accessibility — both physically and conceptually — makes it welcoming to first-time visitors and seasoned art enthusiasts alike.

And perhaps that is why Kochi feels especially alive during Biennale months. Conversations spill into cafés, evenings stretch longer, and every day carries the possibility of discovery.

Staying in Kochi During the Biennale

Experiencing the Kochi-Muziris Biennale often means spending entire days moving between venues in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, and nearby cultural pockets. Ferry rides, heritage walks, and unplanned conversations are all part of the rhythm — and where you choose to stay can quietly shape how seamless that experience feels.

Visitors searching for where to stay during the Kochi Biennale often look for a place that offers comfort, easy city access, and a calm space to pause between exhibitions. Staying slightly away from the busiest heritage lanes, yet well-connected to Biennale locations, allows for both exploration and rest.

Located within convenient reach of Kochi’s cultural districts, transit points, and city hubs, Niko Hotels offers a relaxed base for Biennale visitors. Many guests during the season are artists, curators, students, and travellers who spend their days immersed in art and their evenings reflecting, planning, or simply unwinding.

Whether you are attending the Biennale for a single weekend or across multiple visits, having a dependable place to return to can make the experience feel unhurried — allowing Kochi, and the Biennale itself, to be taken in for the time being.

Kochi, Art, and the Present Moment

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025–26 is not something to rush through.

It asks you to pause, to be present, and to let the city reveal itself — through art, history, people, and shared moments. If you’re visiting Kochi for the Biennale, allow yourself the time to explore beyond the galleries, to sit by the water, to revisit a work that stayed with you.

For the time being, Kochi is where art lives.

And the city welcomes you.

If you’re planning your visit to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025–26, we look forward to welcoming you to Kochi and being a small part of your journey through this remarkable season of art.