Opening of Kashi/Light: City as Sensorium
Bharat Kala Bhawan, BHU
Celebrating India's Living Heritage
बनारस की विरासत, दुनिया के लिए
KASHI / LIGHT
KASHI / LIGHT
CITY AS SENSORIUM
KASHI / LIGHT: City as Sensorium
There is a Banaras beyond the familiar
The Biennale begins there
The inaugural CII Banaras Biennale takes Banaras as both its setting and its subject: a city where art, material practice, music, scholarship and everyday cultural life have evolved through centuries of exchange.
Across collections, archives, workshops, institutions and public spaces, the Biennale brings inherited forms of knowledge into conversation with contemporary artistic practice — asking not simply what survives from the past, but how culture
continues to be made in the present.
EXPLORE
27 November – 1 December
PROGRAMME
BHU Student & Faculty Biennale
Swatantrata Bhawan, BHU
Opening Evening
Chet Singh Fort
Lanes of Memory: A Heritage Walk
Old City, Varanasi · Old City
Banaras, Woven In
Lahurabir
The Karigar Pavilion, The Artisan Edit, Food Street & Ganga Aarti
Namo Ghat
Lanes of Memory: A Heritage Walk
Old City, Varanasi · Old City
Panel: The Future of Handmade
Obeetee House, Mirzapur
Serendipity's River Raga
River Ganga (Boarding at designated ghat) · On The Ganga
Lanes of Memory: A Heritage Walk
Old City, Varanasi · Old City
Masterclass on Healthcare
Banaras Hindu University · BHU
Darshan at Kashi Vishwanath
Kashi Vishwanath
Lanes of Memory: A Heritage Walk
Old City, Varanasi · Old City
Meeting of the CII National Council Members
Banaras Hindu University · BHU
Darshan at Kashi Vishwanath
Kashi Vishwanath
Further participants and session timings will be announced as the programme develops. Please check individual listings before planning your visit.
02 Dec - 31 Dec
Stay with the exhibitions
Exhibitions continue through December as indicated in individual listings. Preview Week brings together the opening programme; each venue has its own access arrangements.
Look closer · Banaras Hindu University
A Legacy of
Learning
Founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Banaras Hindu University was envisioned as a place where education, culture and ideas could come together. Its expansive campus holds stories of scholarship, architecture and artistic expression that continue to shape the institution.
Begin with the campus itself: from the imposing architecture of its historic buildings to the Shri Vishwanath Temple, each space offers another way to understand BHU's place in the cultural life of Banaras.
Explore BHU
Look closer · Jnana Pravaha
Collections at
Jnana Pravaha
Jnana Pravaha’s museum opened in 1999 with Suresh Neotia’s personal collection. Paintings, textiles and objects now offer ways to follow changing materials, tastes and uses across regions.
Begin with a length of malmal: its transparency makes the structure of the cloth part of what we see.
Bharat Kala Bhavan
The collection, reconsidered.
Selected museum reserves and contemporary enquiry invite a closer look at the histories held within the museum.
Film · Preview Week
Banaras on screen.
The Film Festival adds moving images to the ways visitors can encounter the city during Preview Week.
ENGAGEMENTS
Museum Walkthroughs
Exhibits on Varanasi in Art
Textile Exhibits
Photo Exhibits
Art Installations
ENGAGEMENTS
Museum Walkthroughs
Exhibits on Varanasi in Art
Textile Exhibits
Photo Exhibits
Art Installations
PARTNERS
Government Partners
Founding Patron
Weave Your Thread Into The Tapestry Of Banaras
Ek Dhaaga, Ek Duniya
Ek Dhaaga, Ek Duniya invites visitors to enter the Biennale through a simple material act: a thread offered, chosen and added to a growing collective work.
BEYOND 2026
The central intent of the CII Banaras Biennale is to highlight Varanasi's extraordinary architectural heritage, artisanal traditions, and histories of painting and sculpture while strengthening the city's visual arts ecosystem. CII will launch the Varanasi Healthy Weavers Initiative, addressing gaps in primary healthcare and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and geriatric health among weaving communities. The programme will focus on the identified weaving clusters of Ramnagar, Lohta and Badi Bazar, benefiting an estimated 4,000–5,000 weavers and their families.
The Biennale will also serve as a platform for long-term skills and employment initiatives in Varanasi and eastern UP. These include the establishment of the CII Artisan Skill Training Institute, with Varanasi as the anchor hub and planned centres in Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Chandauli and Azamgarh; a CII Model Career Centre, developed in collaboration with the Employment Exchange; and the CII E2EE Career Lounge at BHU, an industry-led career development centre created through a partnership with BHU.
FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY ONLINE
Experience the Biennale, your way!
Discover the programme, explore venues, curate your own itinerary and stay connected with the CII Banaras Biennale as it unfolds across the city.
Download the CII Banaras Biennale App to plan and navigate your experience.
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