French-Algerian artist Kader Attia to curate seventh edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale

French-Algerian artist Kader Attia, whose practice has long engaged with the questions of history, memory, and the enduring legacies of colonialism, will curate the seventh edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale KMB, artist and president of the biennale Jitish Kallat announced at an event in Venice on Friday.

French-Algerian artist Kader Attia, whose practice has long engaged with the questions of history, memory, and the enduring legacies of colonialism, will curate the seventh edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), artist and president of the biennale Jitish Kallat announced at an event in Venice on Friday. Attia, who is the first non-Indian to curate the biennale, was selected by a committee chaired by Kallat along with members Shilpa Gupta, Amrita Jhaveri, Pooja Sood, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Mariam Ram, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. The Seventh Edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale will open in December, 2027. Kallat said that Attia brings to the biennale ''artistic depth, curatorial openness, and a strong pedagogic sensibility'' and the committee was drawn to ''the poetic range and generative potential of his proposal''. ''...and to the flexible curatorial framework it offered for bringing multiple artistic practices, histories, and publics into meaningful relations in Kochi,'' he said in a statement. Attia, who previously participated in KMB in 2014, will begin a process of curatorial research and dialogue towards developing the framework for the 2027–2028 edition, with ''Kochi as a vital point of departure within a wider field of artistic, historical, and contemporary inquiry''. ''Ever since I visited Kochi for the first time, I have dreamed of coming back and building connections between the many intertwined influences that are at the core of this culturally multi-layered city. ''I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this desire to life on the scale of a biennial, together with the fantastic team of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, for its seventh edition. Dreams repair us, like art… and the Biennale, as well as Kerala, will give us the space-time to reclaim our sovereignty over our dreams,'' Attia said. Born in Dugny, France, in 1970, Attia is an internationally recognised artist, curator, and professor at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg (HfbK Hamburg). Working across installation, sculpture, film, and archival research, Attia has developed a body of work that brings together artistic, anthropological, and philosophical inquiry. His work has been exhibited in group shows and biennials across the world, including the 12th Shanghai Biennial; the 12th Gwangju Biennial; the 57th Venice Biennial; Met Breuer, New York; MoMA, New York; Tate Modern, London; and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Attia also curated the 12th Berlin Biennale from June 11 to September 18, 2022, centred around the idea of repair as he looked back on more than two decades of decolonial engagement. ''The announcement of the new curator, Kader Attia, marks the beginning of a fresh artistic journey-one that will continue to challenge, inspire, and connect global voices with our local realities. We are committed to building on this legacy with new ideas, deeper engagements, and bold artistic explorations, while remaining rooted in Kochi's unique cultural fabric,'' Venu V, chairperson of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, said. The sixth edition of the biennale, curated by artist Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, concluded on March 31. More details about the seventh Edition of the biennale will be announced in the coming months.