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Banaras Biennale to debut with 35-day celebration of heritage
The first Banaras Biennale is planned for late 2026.
It will last 35 days, from 27 November to 31 December.
A biennale is a large art and culture exhibition held every two years.
This event’s theme is “KASHI / LIGHT – City as Sensorium.”
It will bring exhibitions, performances and other cultural activities to places around Varanasi.
Visitors are also expected to see heritage experiences and art and craft demonstrations.
The organisers say the city’s everyday culture and history make it a fitting place for the event.
They hope the biennale will help artists and cultural groups share ideas and connect with audiences.
The first CII Banaras Biennale is scheduled to run from 27 November to 31 December 2026.
Its theme is “KASHI / LIGHT – City as Sensorium.”
Exhibitions, performances, heritage experiences and art and craft demonstrations are planned across Varanasi.
Locations include Bharat Kala Bhavan, archives and heritage sites around the city.
Organisers describe the biennale as a long-term platform for artists, institutions, scholars, industry and the public.
- Who
- The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is launching the event with government, institutional and private partners.
- What
- The inaugural CII Banaras Biennale, a 35-day cultural event featuring exhibitions, performances and heritage experiences.
- Where
- Varanasi, also known as Banaras or Kashi, including Bharat Kala Bhavan and other heritage locations.
- When
- 27 November to 31 December 2026.
- Why
- To celebrate the city’s heritage and artists, and create a platform for cultural exchange and engagement with art.
Key facts
- Event
- First edition of the CII Banaras Biennale
- Duration
- 35 days
- Dates
- 27 November–31 December 2026
- Theme
- “KASHI / LIGHT – City as Sensorium”
- Planned activities
- Exhibitions, performances, heritage experiences, and art and craft demonstrations
- Locations
- Bharat Kala Bhavan, archives and heritage sites across the city
- Lead curator
- Gayatri Sinha
Quotes
Sangita Jindal
Chairperson of JSW Foundation.
“Kashi is luminous — a city in which light is not simply seen, but understood. It falls across water, stone and image, but also travels through memory, knowledge and the imagination. Across generations, artists have returned to Banaras not simply to represent the city, but to find different ways of seeing it.”
theprint.in
“India’s cultural confidence must keep pace with its economic rise, and that confidence finds its most eloquent voice in Kashi, also known as Banaras, the cradle of Indian civilisation.”
theprint.in
Unidentified organiser
Organiser speaking about why Varanasi was chosen as the Biennale location.
“Banaras was a very natural choice. It is a city which is so multidimensional. At every corner, you see living culture being performed, lived and made part of everyday life. That is what makes it so distinctive. It does not focus on just one area; it is multidimensional, multilayered and can be interpreted and visualised creatively in many different forms.”
theprint.in
Sources
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