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Bengal Biennale is back, and this time it's stretching itself across two Bengals worth of venues for over a month straight. The second edition kicks off in Santiniketan on November 25, 2026, running through January 2 2027. Kolkata joins the party on 28 November and closes out the same date.
They debuted in 2024 to a huge reception, bringing in names like Louiz Banks, Amitav Ghosh and Jogen Chowdhury and crowds across Santiniketan and Kolkata, covering literally everything from Trincas to Academy of Fine Arts. This edition is expected to again spread across roughly 20 institutional venues in the two cities, bringing together over 100 artists, performers, scholars and curators. Visva-Bharati's old modernist ties to Santiniketan meets Kolkata's gallery circuit, head-on.
The full artist list, venue map and programming are yet to be announced. But if you live in or are visiting Bengal, chances are you’re landing up in either Kolkata or Santiniketan anyway, especially from around October to January. Anyone from Bengal will tell you there’s a deep appetite for para clubs, pujas and local handicraft spreads. It’s a pilgrimage that eats away at many Bengali winters until it’s done. There’s no doubt in my mind this will only add to the experience.
Who’s curating the Bengal Biennale 2026-27?
Chander Haat works on community-based art projects and research, rooted in collaborations in Sarsuna, South Kolkata, with residents and migrated people from Bangladesh, Bihar and Sunderbans. They run an international residency programme, and they also have artists who participate in Durga Puja art installations, bringing a sociopolitical focus to both.
The other curator is Ritika Biswas, an independent curator and researcher whose work revolves around ecological justice, necropolitics, and experimental media. She’s curated shows in the UK, South Korea, Paris, Abu Dhabi, and more, and it’ll be interesting to see how she approaches home turf.