Curator Kader Attia begins site visits and conversations in Kochi ahead of 7th edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale

Kader Attia to reveal his curatorial vision the upcoming edition in Mumbai on Nov 14

Kochi / September 17, 2026

Kochi, Sept 17: Kader Attia, curator of the seventh edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), will unveil his curatorial proposition in Mumbai on November 14, offering the first public glimpse into the vision that will shape the international contemporary art exhibition.

This was announced by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), which organises the KMB, at a media interaction with Attia here on Wednesday.

The event was attended by Dr Venu V., Chairperson, KBF; Jitish Kallat, President, Kochi–Muziris Biennale; Adeeb Ahamed, Trustee, KBF; and Thomas Varghese, CEO, KBF.

The evening marked an early stage in the making of the next Biennale. Attia’s current research visit began in Mumbai, where he met cultural practitioners and others, before continuing to Kochi with site visits and conversations. Attia, an internationally renowned Algerian-French artist-curator, has a longstanding association with Kochi. He delivered the inaugural Vivan Sundaram Memorial Lecture in 2025 and had previously participated in two exhibitions in Kochi curated by Jitish Kallat — Whorled Explorations, presented as part of the 2014 Kochi–Muziris Biennale, and Tangled Hierarchy in 2022. At the press meet, he spoke at length about his artistic practice, his return to Kochi in his new role as curator, and the conversations and encounters that are beginning to shape his research for the next Biennale.

Dr Venu V. set the context for the evening and the Biennale's next chapter. “The selection of Kader Attia as curator reflects the identity of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. His engagement with contemporary art and his interest in history, memory and culture closely resonate with the character of the Biennale,” he noted.

Introducing Attia, Mr Kallat spoke about the longer process through which a Biennale takes shape.

He also acknowledged the longstanding role of Kerala's press in bringing artists and their ideas into public conversation.

Adeeb Ahamed described the Biennale as a collective endeavour and called upon people in Kochi and across Kerala to participate in and take ownership of its next chapter by welcoming artists, perspectives and ideas from around the world.

Attia shared images of his work and spoke through aspects of a practice that has, for more than two decades, engaged questions of memory, history, repair and the continuing legacies of colonialism.

Central to his artistic inquiry is the idea of “traces”—the marks left by history, trauma and experience. The human psyche, he said, carries traces linked not only to trauma but also to joy, opening up political, philosophical, metaphysical and poetic questions.

“The question of traces is very much what I put at the centre of my interest to understand the legacy of colonialism in the 21st century,” he said.

He described observation as something learned socially rather than academically, and described repair not simply as a concept but as a phenomenon.

Beginning with memories of his mother and the invisible traces left by those who are gone, he explored ideas of the wound and repair, while also reflecting on Kochi's unusually engaged local audience and the sense of reciprocity he has encountered in the city.

ENDS

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