Jitish Kallat appointed as President of Kochi-Muziris Biennale

The announcement comes months after Bose Krishnamachari resigned as president of KMB

The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) has announced that artist and curator Jitish Kallat will assume the role of the president of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) and will chair the selection of the curator for the next edition.

The announcement was made by Dr Venu V, chairperson of KBF. It comes nearly two months after Bose Krishnamachari resigned as president of KMB. He was also the co-founder of the Biennale with Riyas Komu. Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Venu V confirmed that Kallat would be the next president of KMB.

Mumbai-based Kallat has been a member of the Board of Trustees of KBF. Curator of the second edition of the Biennale in 2014-15, he was also a participating artist in the 2018-19 edition. “At an important moment for the Foundation, we are grateful to Jitish Kallat for agreeing to chair the selection of the curator for the next edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. His long association with the Biennale and his international experience in the contemporary art field make him well placed to take this forward,” stated Venu V.

Kallat said, “The Kochi-Muziris Biennale has played an extraordinary role in shaping conversations around contemporary art in India and beyond. At the Board’s request, I have agreed to chair the selection of the curator for the next edition, and I look forward to working with colleagues to ensure a thoughtful and rigorous selection.”

One of India’s most prestigious art events, the KMB that was conceived in 2010 and saw its first edition in 2012-13, when it was curated by its co-founders, Komu and Bose Krishnamachari. Komu had resigned from all management positions connected with the Biennale in 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Krishnamachari had cited “personal and family reasons” for his resignation in January 2026.

Recent years have also seen several organisational changes in the KBF, including Venu V’s appointment, and that of Thomas Varghese as CEO of KBF.

The sixth edition of KMB, titled ‘For the Time Being’, is currently on in Kochi. Curated by Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, the edition will conclude on March 31, 2026.

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) has announced that artist and curator Jitish Kallat will assume the role of the president of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) and will chair the selection of the curator for the next edition.

The announcement was made by Dr Venu V, chairperson of KBF. It comes nearly two months after Bose Krishnamachari resigned as president of KMB. He was also the co-founder of the Biennale with Riyas Komu. Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Venu V confirmed that Kallat would be the next president of KMB.

Mumbai-based Kallat has been a member of the Board of Trustees of KBF. Curator of the second edition of the Biennale in 2014-15, he was also a participating artist in the 2018-19 edition. “At an important moment for the Foundation, we are grateful to Jitish Kallat for agreeing to chair the selection of the curator for the next edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. His long association with the Biennale and his international experience in the contemporary art field make him well placed to take this forward,” stated Venu V.

Kallat said, “The Kochi-Muziris Biennale has played an extraordinary role in shaping conversations around contemporary art in India and beyond. At the Board’s request, I have agreed to chair the selection of the curator for the next edition, and I look forward to working with colleagues to ensure a thoughtful and rigorous selection.”

One of India’s most prestigious art events, the KMB that was conceived in 2010 and saw its first edition in 2012-13, when it was curated by its co-founders, Komu and Bose Krishnamachari. Komu had resigned from all management positions connected with the Biennale in 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Krishnamachari had cited “personal and family reasons” for his resignation in January 2026.

Recent years have also seen several organisational changes in the KBF, including Venu V’s appointment, and that of Thomas Varghese as CEO of KBF.

The sixth edition of KMB, titled ‘For the Time Being’, is currently on in Kochi. Curated by Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, the edition will conclude on March 31, 2026.