Biennales Around The World That Should Be On Your List

If you're an art and travel lover in India, 2025 has some great stuff lined up for you. The new year commenced with Chennai Photo Biennale — centred around the theme ‘Why Photograph?’ and drew artists and visitors from across the world. The Chennai Biennale 2025 saw these visual artists and photographers present their work around identity, culture, heritage and gender. And then expected later this year is the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, which happens to be one of the most awaited in the country. The new entrant to the scene? The Bihar Museum Biennale, where you get to delve deeper into the rich history and culture of the state that is home to art forms like Manjusha, Tikli, and most well-known Madhubani.

For the uninitiated, in the art world, biennales are art festivals that are held every two years and are a great way to witness the development in the field. Which new artists have emerged on the scene, what gallery has what plans, and what art-related new trends have emerged are all best observed at biennales. 

Whether you are new to the scene, or just need a refresher, here are the art biennales we’ll be looking forward to, in 2025

1.Kochi-Muziris Biennale

The sixth edition of the Kochi Biennale will be curated by Goa-based performance artist Nikhil Chopra and his collective, HH Art Spaces. This Kochi Biennale is the largest art exhibition in India and also the biggest contemporary festival in India which is a must-visit for every art lover.
Apart from showcasing cutting-edge contemporary art forms it also lets you immerse in the surroundings with eclectic performances, talks, workshops, photography and more. It’ll be featuring 60 artists and artistic practices from the country, and abroad. If you're headed for the Muziris Biennale, check out these stunning stays in Kochi.

2. Chennai Photo Biennale

Chennai Photo Biennale is on its fourth exhibition with a thought-provoking theme – Why Photograph? Living in an era where clicking pictures is as common as taking your breakfast, lunch or dinner, we never really wonder about most of the pics like why are we capturing that image. 
This biennale 2025 makes you witness the hidden powers of photography – how photography can become a crucial tool for dialogue, understanding or even social change. This is what makes Chennai Photo Biennale stand out among all those biennales which primarily focus on pure artistic or commercial work.
Phase three of this biennale is ongoing, and phase four will begin soon. If you haven’t visited yet, make plans for Chennai now!

3. Bihar Museum Biennale

Hosted by the Bihar Museum in Patna, the Bihar Museum Biennale is an ambitious initiative which aims to establish a significant platform for contemporary art and discourse in India. However, there aren't any details disclosed about the upcoming third edition of the Bihar Museum Biennale, the organisers hosted a pre-Museum Biennale 2025 meeting, “Ambassadors’ Meet”, at the India Habitat Centre on November 19, 2024, from its official Facebook page. This was done to discuss the participation of institutes, museums, and artists from Latin American, Asian and  African countries in the upcoming event. When visiting Bihar for this biennale, make sure you take time to check out these famous historical monuments in the state.

4. Sharjah Biennale

The 16th edition of the Sharjah Biennial is being masterfully arranged by: Natasha Ginwala (Artistic Director, COLOMBOSCOPE, Colombo); Zeynep Öz (independent curator, Istanbul and New York); Amal Khalaf (Director, Cubitt, London and Curator at Large, Public Practice, Serpentine Galleries, London); Megan Tamati-Quennell (curator of modern and contemporary Māori and Indigenous art, New Zealand) and Alia Swastika (Director of the Biennale Jogja Foundation, Yogyakarta). 
These master art curators are looking out for unique and diverse art that offers a global panorama across the intersectionality of visual art – think global vibes mixed with visual art, performances, tunes and much more. Also, this biennale is taking place in three phases – the Opening Programme (February 6 to 9), the March Meeting (March 7 to 9) and it will conclude with April Acts (April 18 to 20).

When visiting the emirate for the biennale, you can also explore the other activities to enjoy in Sharjah. 

5. Venice Biennale, Italy

One of the most oldest and prestigious institutions in the world, Venice Biennale’s Art section wrapped last year. In 2025, you will be able to witness and experience the film, architecture, music, dance, and theatrical sections of this prestigious biennale. 
Currently, you can get tickets for the architecture section, and for others, announcements will be made on their website and social media handles. The architecture section or as it is formally called Biennale Architettura 2025 begins 10 May 2025.

Catch visual glimpses
Bangkok Art Bienniale

Bangkok Art Biennale just wrapped up across 11 venues in the capital city of Thailand. The theme of this fourth edition of the Bangkok Biennial was ‘Nurture Gaia’, and had been inspired by the Greek Goddess Gaia who is widely recognised as a mother, nurturer and life-giver. 
The Bkk Art Biennale allowed the visitors to explore an incredible connection between nature and nurture. 

Paintings, installations and video art, public programmes, artist performances, talks, hands-on workshops and guided tours, everything had been carefully curated around the theme. If you missed it, make sure to check out the glimpses of the artwork and activities on their social media feed.