Kader Attia Named First International Curator of Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2027, Marking a New Chapter in France-India Artistic Dialogue
The Venice Biennale served as the backdrop for a landmark announcement in contemporary art: Franco-Algerian artist Kader Attia has been named the first international curator invited to lead the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2027. The announcement marks a significant moment in the growing cultural partnership between France and India, and reflects the long-standing engagement of the French Institute in India with one of South Asia’s most influential contemporary art platforms.
Kader Attia and Jitish Kallat at Ocean Space, Venice Biennale 2026 • Photo: Courtesy WM Films
A Collaboration Built over time
The French Institute in India played a key role in bringing Kader Attia to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, and his presence at the previous edition helped lay the groundwork for this new appointment. His growing relationship with the Biennale reflects the Institute’s commitment to fostering meaningful, lasting exchanges between French and Indian cultural actors.
Kader Attia in conversation with Mario D’Souza, Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025 • Photo: Courtesy Kochi Biennale Foundation
Kader Attia at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025
In 2025, Attia participated in the Biennale through the inaugural Vivan Sundaram Memorial Lecture Series, presenting a lecture titled Unpredictable Memory. Drawing on his long-term research into trauma, repair, and collective memory, the talk explored how societies relate to history and how memory shapes both nations and individuals.
About Kader Attia
Born in France in 1970 and raised between Paris and Algeria, Kader Attia has developed an internationally recognised intercultural and interdisciplinary practice. His work engages deeply with questions of history, memory, repair, and the enduring legacies of colonialism, spanning installation, sculpture, film, and archival research. His practice builds bridges between artistic, anthropological, and philosophical inquiry, creating powerful spaces for reflection on identity, trauma, and collective memory.
In 2016, Attia founded La Colonie in Paris as a platform for critical dialogue and exchange. He is the recipient of major international distinctions, including the Marcel Duchamp Prize.
Kader Attia, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, 2024 • Photo: © Berlinische Galerie / Harry Schnitger
A partnership since the beginning
The French Institute in India and the Institut Français Paris have supported the Kochi-Muziris Biennale since its founding edition, through programming collaborations, training initiatives, and more recently, a cross-residency program with the Lyon Biennale.