Head of Exhibitions at the Kochi Biennale Foundation

Location: Kochi, Kerala, India, with travel as required
Contract: Full-time, fixed-term
Contract period: October 2026–June 2028, with the possibility of extension
Salary: Competitive and commensurate with experience
Application deadline: Not specified
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer, with oversight from the President and Steering Committee

Kochi Biennale Foundation is seeking an experienced and highly organised Head of Exhibitions to oversee the integrated planning and delivery of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2027–2028 Main Exhibition.

Working across the Biennale’s artistic, production and institutional teams, the successful candidate will ensure that its multi-venue exhibition programme is delivered coherently, on schedule and within available resources.

About the Role

The Head of Exhibitions will work closely with the Curator, curatorial team, Head of Production, participating artists and departments across Kochi Biennale Foundation.

The role combines curatorial sensitivity with senior-level exhibition management. It requires an understanding of artists’ working processes alongside substantial experience managing complex exhibitions, commissions, venues, budgets and institutional relationships.

The successful candidate will maintain an overview of the Main Exhibition from development through installation, public presentation, maintenance, deinstallation and closure. They will also support EDAM, INVITATIONS and other Foundation exhibitions taking place during the contract period.

Responsibilities

Exhibition Planning and Coordination

The Head of Exhibitions will:

• Maintain an integrated overview of the Main Exhibition;
• Develop and manage the master exhibition schedule;
• Identify milestones, dependencies, decision points and potential risks;
• Ensure that the Curator’s artistic vision is reflected in exhibition plans and schedules;
• Coordinate activity across Curatorial, Production, Finance, Publications, Communications and Development;
• Lead regular exhibition coordination meetings;
• Record decisions and monitor critical actions;
• Track the readiness of artists, artworks, commissions and venues; and
• Anticipate delays, gaps and conflicts before they affect delivery.

Artist and Curatorial Liaison

The role will involve:

• Acting as a senior institutional contact for the Curator, artists, galleries, lenders and partner institutions;
• Maintaining an overview of artist projects while respecting the curatorial team’s responsibility for their development;
• Coordinating the transition of commissions from curatorial development into production and installation;
• Helping artists and curators navigate technical, financial, logistical and institutional constraints;
• Developing solutions that respect artistic intentions and organisational realities; and
• Resolving or escalating issues affecting the delivery of artistic projects.

Exhibition Delivery

The Head of Exhibitions will:

• Align the exhibition plan with technical and production schedules;
• Resolve cross-departmental issues concerning venues, budgets and artistic requirements;
• Communicate significant changes to relevant decision-makers;
• Monitor exhibition readiness ahead of opening;
• Coordinate responses to issues affecting artworks or visitor experience during the public period;
• Oversee exhibition closure and deinstallation;
• Ensure that documentation and outstanding commitments are completed; and
• Coordinate a post-Biennale review.

Budgets and Institutional Coordination

The role will also include:

• Maintaining an overview of requirements across multiple venues;
• Monitoring the exhibition budget with senior colleagues;
• Identifying financial pressures requiring institutional or curatorial decisions;
• Providing progress and risk updates to the CEO, President and Steering Committee;
• Supplying exhibition information for partnerships, grants and sponsorships; and
• Strengthening exhibition-management systems, workflows and institutional knowledge.

Role Structure

The Curator will retain responsibility for the artistic vision, artist selection and final curatorial decisions.

The Head of Exhibitions will ensure that artistic, production and institutional processes move coherently towards delivery.

The Head of Production will lead fabrication, construction, technical installation, production logistics, contractors and associated safety procedures.

Requirements

Applicants should have:

• Substantial experience in exhibition management, curatorial project management or a comparable senior role;
• Experience working within a biennale, museum, festival, major exhibition or contemporary art institution;
• A record of delivering complex, multi-venue exhibitions;
• Experience working directly with contemporary artists and curators;
• Experience producing commissions, site-specific works and technically complex projects;
• A sophisticated understanding of contemporary curatorial practice;
• Practical knowledge of exhibition production;
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary and cross-departmental teams;
• Knowledge of budgets, schedules, artwork logistics, loans, insurance and conservation;
• The ability to manage multiple deadlines and dependencies;
• Excellent written and spoken English;
• Strong judgement, diplomacy and communication skills;
• A proactive and solutions-oriented approach; and
• A commitment to accessibility, safety, sustainability and respectful working relationships.

The successful candidate must be available for national and international travel and for evening, weekend and public-holiday work during critical installation, opening and deinstallation periods.

About Kochi Biennale Foundation

Kochi Biennale Foundation is a non-profit organisation supporting contemporary art and culture.

It organises the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, one of Asia’s leading contemporary art biennales, alongside educational, public and year-round cultural programmes that encourage artistic exchange and engagement.