Kochi Biennale 2025 Day 2 – update… pictures

December 13, 2025Last Updated: December 13, 2025

From the editor’s desk…Kochi 10.30am IST (4.30am GMT)

Good morning, asianculturevultures! How are we?

Yes, yesterday (December 12) was our return to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale…for this year’s sixth edition.

It is themed as For The Time Being – a reference to a living a whole organism or entitity: an ecosystem, library/university or school, where you absorb, reflect and learn, return…

Willingdon Island from Aspinwall House (Fort Kochi)

Kochi Biennale launched yesterday with a series of events…which we covered in our video… see below

It began with the flag hosting and the traditional Kerala drum welcome, which lasted about half and hour and drew a huge and excited crowd.

This all took place in Aspinwall House, one of the main hub venues here in Fort Kochi – we hope to explore more of the rest soon – including the now mythical warehouse on Willingdon Island…perhaps, the less said about this fruitless trip the better, from a personal point of view…haha. Getting on the wrong ferry…🤦🏽‍♂️😂

Zarina Muhammed ‘*Procession for a Shifting Storm*‘

Nevertheless, the morning was very lively and after the drum welcome, there were speeches – most noticeably from lead curator Nikhil Chopra. He and the Goa-based art collective he is part – of HH Arts Spaces – have curated this year’s Kochi Biennale.

Chopra spoke about being in love with all of us – attending – as well as those who were exhibiting and had helped put this all together…

There are some 25 countries represented here in this the sixth edition of Kochi Biennale and 66 artists’ work is on display.

Yesterday after the welcome speeches, there was a performance of traditional singing and chanting by Monica de Miranda, called ‘A New Alphabet’ – you can see this in our video – with the three performers in orange jumpsuits. This took place in courtyard area of Aspinwall House.

This was followed a little later by the ‘Procession for a Shifting Storm’ by artist Zarina Muhammad – these are the strange figures that emerged from her work displayed in one of the ‘godowns’ (shed/warehouse) in Aspinwall House and continued and ended up outside again to the background of traditional drum music.

We ended our day covering the formal inauguration with Kerala (the state where Kochi is located) Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lighting the ceremoninal lamp and announcing Kochi Biennale open!

Bose Krishnamachari, Kochi Biennale founder and director speaking at inauguration ceremony Parade Ground, Fort Kochi

This was preceeded by several speeches including another by Chopra and Bose Krishnamachari, the founder and director of the Kochi Biennale Foundation which looks after the festival.

Many of the trustees and supporters attended this event and can be seen on the stage – one of these was Yusuff Ali, the founder of the Lulu Group – which has a number of hypermarket stores across the Middle East and Kerala and India more recently. Based in the UAE, he is something of a celebrity in these parts and well-known for his rags to riches story.

More personally speaking, it’s very sultry here – more humid than other parts of Kerala or the West Coast of India, though today (December 13), it is supposed to be cooling a bit – 30C rather than 32C.

Pinarayi Vijayan chief minister Kerala speaking at inauguration ceremony

We should be posting content towards the end of the day here Indian time – we hope to be doing interviews and covering an event and looking at other venues – there are some 40 plus spread across Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and Ernakulam (the city beyond Fort Kochi and east Kochi).

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Thanks for your company! Fly high with the bird always!

Sailesh Ram