Kader Attia to Present Curatorial Vision for Seventh Kochi Muziris Biennale

Kader Attia, the curator of the seventh edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB), will present his curatorial vision for the international art exhibition in Mumbai on November 14, 2026.

The Algerian-French artist has already begun site visits and conversations in Kochi as part of preparations for the next edition. His current research visit started in Mumbai, where he met cultural practitioners and others.

During a media interaction in Kochi on Wednesday, Attia shared images of his work and discussed a practice that has, for more than two decades, examined memory, history, repair and the continuing legacies of colonialism.

He said the idea of "traces" — the marks left by history, trauma and experience — remains central to his artistic inquiry. The human psyche, he noted, 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 in understanding the legacy of colonialism in the 21st century," he said. He described observation as something learned socially rather than academically, and repair not merely as a concept but as a phenomenon.

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

Attia has a longstanding association with Kochi. He delivered the inaugural Vivan Sundaram Memorial Lecture in 2025 and had previously participated in two Kochi exhibitions curated by Jitish Kallat: Whorled Explorations, presented as part of the 2014 KMB, and Tangled Hierarchy in 2022.

The interaction was attended by Venu V., chairperson of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF); Jitish Kallat, president, KMB; Adeeb Ahamed, trustee of the KBF; and Thomas Varghese, its chief executive officer.