MUSEUM AS MUSE

Anjani Kumar Singh, DG, Bihar Museum, is leading the Bihar Museum Biennale into a promising third edition, with a focus on the Global South

- Nikhil Sardana

THE THIRD EDITION OF the Bihar Museum Biennale (BMB), taking place from August 7 to December 31, marks a bold and timely moment in the international cultural calendar.

Conceived in 2021 as the world's first biennale dedicated exclusively to museums, BMB has grown rapidly into a global platform for cultural dialogue, institutional exchange and curatorial innovation.

Its founder and director general of the Bihar Museum, Anjani Kumar Singh, recalls how the idea was born. “When we built the Bihar Museum and began visiting major museums and art biennales worldwide, I noticed there was no dedicated platform for museums and art institutions to share their exhibitions, histories and practices, or to discuss common challenges.”

The BMB's first edition launched virtually during the pandemic, opening the door to international participation from the outset. By 2023, as India hosted the G20 presidency, the second edition featured museums from over 15 countries and welcomed the G20 Art Exhibition Together We Art. These early editions helped establish Bihar as a rising force in global museology. The 2025 edition only deepens this ambition.