One of South Asia’s largest festivals of contemporary art, the four-month-long Kochi-Muziris Biennale’s mission is to “introduce contemporary international visual art theory and practice to India” and “enable a dialogue among artists, curators, and the public”. More than 400 works by over 350 artists from across the world have been showcased at the event since its launch in 2012. It has hosted two million visitors in its four editions so far.

Anish Kapoor, Anita Dube, Jitish Kallat, Ranbir Kaleka, Shubigi Rao and Sudarshan Shetty are among the artists whose works have been part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, to name just a few. Other highlights at the festival have included the Let’s Talk conversation forum, the Music of Muziris concert series, the Artists’ Cinema screenings and the Video Lab projects on contemporary art, artists and art practices. With exhibits and events at repurposed heritage properties in and around Fort Kochi, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is as much about the history of its host city as it is about the art.

The fifth edition of the biennale took place between December 2022 to April 2023 across multiple venues in Fort Kochi and Ernakulam. Curated by Singaporean-Indian contemporary artist Shubigi Rao, this edition, titled In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire, featured 80 artists and collectives and over 45 new commissions. Read Rao’s curatorial statement here.

Check out other visual arts festivals here.