Bengal Biennale 2026 to Explore Memory and Ecology Across Kolkata and Santiniketan
The second edition of the Bengal Biennale is set to take place from November 25, 2026, to January 2, 2027. Organised by the Gameplan Foundation, which was founded by Jeet Banerjee and Malavika Banerjee, the event will open in Santiniketan on November 25 and launch its Kolkata edition on November 28.
Titled Banalata, the curatorial framework derives its name from the poet Jibanananda Das's work Banalata Sen. The theme focuses on memory, displacement, resistance, belonging, and ecology, drawing inspiration from wild forest creepers to connect historical and contemporary narratives across non-traditional and traditional cultural venues.
Venues and Participating Artists
The event will feature a broad selection of artworks across historic sites, modern museums, artist studios, and alternative public venues in both regions. The participating locations include:
- Santiniketan: Nandan Art Museum & Gallery (Kala Bhavan), Tokaroun, Santiniketan Society of Visual Art & Design (SSVAD), Arthshila, Sculpture Park, Somnath Hore Studio, and Krittika Arts Space.
- Kolkata: The Alipore Museum, The Indian Museum, TRI Art & Culture, Lalit Kala Akademi (AJC Bose Road), Victoria Memorial Hall, The Red Bari, The Dockyard Co, Siddhi & Muni Art Studios at Stephen Court, New Empire, and the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC).
The line-up integrates modern masters alongside contemporary, international, and emerging artists. Featured historic masters include Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Benode Behari Mukherjee, Bikash Bhattacharjee, and Chittaprosad. Contemporary artists exhibiting include Atul Dodiya, Arpita Singh, Jitish Kallat, Paresh Maity, Jogen Chowdhury, Shilpa Gupta, Amar Kanwar, and Amol K Patil.
Curatorial Vision and Public Engagement
More than 40 projects present in this edition are original works conceived specifically for the event, complemented by site-responsive adaptations and institutional loans. Co-curator Ritika Biswas described the project as an exploration of unseen networks through which people find kinship and refuge, combining poetics and politics in response to ongoing environmental and social crises.
Co-curator Bhabatosh Sutar highlighted the platform's role in drawing attention to Bengal's distinct artistic trajectory while connecting local practices with broader international art conversations. Organisers Jeet and Malavika Banerjee emphasized that the theme reflects lessons of natural resilience, neuronal empathy, and shared human connectivity amid a polarized global context.
Curtain-Raiser Discussion on Public Art
At a curtain-raiser panel held on October 28 at Kolkata's Alipore Museum, cultural figures discussed expanding art access beyond commercial gallery limits. Moderated by Sumona Chakravarty, deputy director of DAG museums, the panel included Paula Sengupta, head of the Department of Graphics-Printmaking and dean of the Faculty of Visual Arts at Rabindra Bharati University; Devina Swarup, director at Paharpur Group; and co-curator Bhabatosh Sutar.
Reflecting on her participation in the previous edition, titled Anka-Banka: Through Cross-Currents in 2024–2025, Paula Sengupta detailed how displaying work on forced migration inside a non-gallery public space at the Alipore Museum engaged diverse audiences, including up to 1,500 visitors daily. A temporary wall installed at the exhibition entrance led visitors to write their personal records of displacement and family histories, demonstrating the potential for interactive public engagement.
Devina Swarup noted the importance of supporting public cultural initiatives alongside traditional social programs to enrich community well-being, while Sumona Chakravarty cited DAG's ongoing commitment to preserving regional artistic legacies through public outreach and display.
