In about a month or so, the city of Kochi will get to witness yet another shift in the history of Indian art. The fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale commences on the 12th of December this year and will feature a dynamic range of artwork, along with curated programming in the fields of cinema, performance, as well as seminars and workshops.

The theme of the Biennale is ‘possibilities for a non-alienated life’. Curated by renowned artist Anita Dube, the 108-day Biennale will be held across nine venues and will feature a total of 95 artist projects. Fort Kochi and Durbar Hall in downtown Ernakulam are two of the heritage venues the Biennale will be held across.

“While preparation has been key,” Dube said, “my vision for the Biennale can only be actualised with the active participation of the public.”

“We are working at full capacity to create the structures that I hope everyone can claim, by listening, sharing, and speaking,” she added. Dube will be the Biennale’s first woman curator.

Guided tours of the exhibition will be given by a team of 20 dedicated Art Mediators who are fluent in English and Malayalam. The tours will be free of charge and will be held every day at set times. Should they choose to do so, visitors can also purchase personal guided tours.

Ancillary events at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale this year include the Let’s Talk series, of presentations and discussions by artists and thinkers, Artists’ Cinema, that presents curated packages of films, and the Music of Muziris concert series, showcasing a wide range of traditional and contemporary music acts, including the Three Seas Project, T M Krishna, Imphal Talkies, and Insurrections Ensemble, amongst others.