Kochi, Dec 01: Come Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), and it becomes an intense work season for the 15-odd families living in the city, who are regularly assigned the task of tidying up the sites for the high-profile art exhibition, which soon opens the gate to its sixth edition. Originally from Tamil Nadu, they have been undertaking cleaning work at the KMB venues since the debut edition in 2012. “I missed just one edition in between,” says sexagenarian Ashokan Antony, who is a pivotal figure among the team of workers.

Ashokan migrated to Kochi almost half a century ago as a job-seeking teenager from Trichy. “During KMB time, we need not worry about securing daily work,” he says. “At the Biennale venues, we’re involved in all kinds of cleaning work — indoors and outdoors.” KMB is “sort of a family get-together for Ashokan. “This is when my two sons and two daughters join me for work from Trichy.” One son, Johnson, paints buildings. The other, Anthony, aka Arun, does all kinds of odd jobs. With a notebook in hand, one of Ashokan’s daughters assists them, checking and accounting for the day’s work. “It’s a fun, collective effort,” says Ashokan. “In fact, the Biennale gives my grandchildren an occasion to join my birthday celebrations on January 1,” adds Ashokan, who will soon be turning 66.

Anthony says the Biennale lent him an opportunity to “learn” through interactions with people from various walks of life. Agrees his nephew Bharath, a district-level kabaddi player: “This event opens before us a whole range of worlds otherwise unfamiliar to us.”

Commencing on December 12 and running through March 31, 2026, the 110-day KMB is curated by Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, Goa and organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF).

The clean-up at KMB venues goes beyond sweeping floors and cleaning washrooms. The workers clear the waste from carpentry, masonry, flooring, welding and plumbing, as well as electrical and painting work. The tasks also involve cleaning up the outdoor areas of the venues. Ashokan and the families also help maintain the garden, which is being set up in some venues, clearing overgrowth and watering the plants. In some venues, they apply cow-dung paste to ready eco-friendly floors.

Ashokan notes that as the biennale venues are typically laden with expensive, delicate material, they have to be careful when cleaning. “We have to value the trust the organisers have in us,” he says.

The KBF is a 2010-registered non-profit charitable trust.

Photo Caption : Ashokan and his family members cleaning the precincts of Oottupura, the vintage dining hall of Pazhyannur Bhagavati Temple,  a venue, in the run-up to the sixth edition of 110-day Kochi-Muziris Biennale commencing on December 12.