KBF’s Island Mural Project attracts passersby in Fort Kochi, Mattancherry

The Kochi Biennale Foundation’s (KBF) Island Mural Project, launched for the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB 2025), adorns many a wall in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, turning public art into a space for connection, reflection, and shared belonging.

Project Overview
- Launched as part of the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB 2025).
- Transforms walls across Fort Kochi and Mattancherry into vibrant canvases, making public art a space for connection, reflection, and belonging.
- Runs until March 31, 2026.

Featured Artists & Works
- Aravani Art Project:
Transgender and cis artists (Chandri, Prarthana, Varsha, Jyothi, Nandini Rajaramanathan, Murugan Gopi) painting murals at the Women and Children’s Hospital, Bazaar Road. Their work reflects life stories, resistance, and visibility.

- The Trespassers:
Eight-member collective (Vishnupriyan K, Ambadi Kannan, Jinil Manikandan, Bashar UK, Sreerag P, Arjun Gopi, Jatin Shaji, Pranav Prabhakaran) with a large mural at Cube Art Spaces, Bazaar Road. Their collaborative style emphasizes shared visual memory and improvisation.

- Osheen Siva:
Goa-based multidisciplinary artist, painting on Palm Fibre wall near Aspinwall House. Her work explores Dalit art, anti-caste narratives, gender, and postcolonial history, advancing Tamil Dalit Futurism.

- Munir Kabani:
On the Arthshila wall, Fort Kochi, his mural “Wall of Love” features the word Love in English and Malayalam (Sneham), radiating warmth and inclusivity.

- Pradip Das:
Upcoming work on Simi Warehouse wall, Mattancherry (February 2026). Known for multidisciplinary art and installations.

Significance
- KBF President Bose Krishnamachari highlighted the Biennale’s commitment to art that is porous, accessible, and rooted in community.
- The murals invite passersby to pause, reflect, and engage with the histories and textures of Kochi’s storied neighborhoods.
- The project underscores public art as a mirror of life, a language of resistance, and a collective memory.

✨ In essence, the Island Mural Project turns Fort Kochi and Mattancherry into a living gallery, where walls speak the stories of identity, community, and cultural resistance.