Kochi: The sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), will be held from December 12, 2025, through March 31, 2026. The 110-day show titled ‘For the Time Being’ will be curated by renowned artist Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, an artist-led organisation based in Goa. 

The KBF on Wednesday announced the curatorial framework for KMB’25. Alongside the international exhibition, the Biennale will feature a diverse programme of talks, performances, workshops, and film screenings, unfolding across various sites in Kochi. Key programme verticals include the Students’ Biennale, Invitations, Art By Children, the Residency Programme and the Collateral.

The curatorial note by Nikhil Chopra states that the sixth edition of the KMB will embrace process as methodology and will position ‘friendship economies’ as the very scaffolding of the exhibition. Moving away from the conventional Biennale model of a singular, central exhibition-event, the sixth edition is envisioned as a living ecosystem “one where each element shares space, time, and resources, and grows in dialogue with each other.”

Chopra is an internationally renowned multidisciplinary artist whose practice interweaves performance, drawing, photography, sculpture and installation. KMB is India’s first and South Asia’s longest-running contemporary art biennale.

KBF Chair Dr Venu V said the biennale, over its past editions, has consistently risen in stature, attracting works by both celebrated and emerging artists from India and abroad.

Bose Krishnamachari, president of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, said that Nikhil Chopra's emphasis on durational exhibitions and performances will be a highlight of the sixth edition. “Those visiting the biennale will be introduced to an immersive atmosphere, featuring spectacular artworks and site-responsive installations. The event will also offer abundant opportunities to engage with artists and fellow art enthusiasts, and witness the layered cultural life of Kochi, a city where global and local currents converge and diverge all at once.” The full artist list will be announced in October.