Riyas Komu is a renowned artist and curator who has exhibited his works worldwide, including the Venice Biennale. His works – paintings, sculptures, videos, photographs and installations – dwell on a range of subjects that include war, migration, displacement, violence, betrayal, history, conflict, peace, football, culture and Indian Constitution.

He is the ideator of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and co-founder of the Kochi Biennale Foundation. He co-curated the first edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2012 and made the biennale as a multidisciplinary educational project as the director of programmes. Komu is the co-founder of URU Art Harbour, a cultural hub in Mattancherry, Kochi, which promotes artists from the region focused on local culture and maritime history.

Heco-curated the first International Football Film Festival in India at the Goa International Film Festival and Trivandrum International Film Festival in 2012.

His critically acclaimed solo projects include “Faith Accompli-2005”, “Related List-2008” and ‘HolyShiver-2018’ which celebrated the art in the Constitution.

In 2019, Komu curated the Kondotty Sufi Festival. He is the artistic director of the acclaimed ‘Sea a Boiling Vessel’ exhibition, an ongoing research project which puts the spotlight on our maritime history.

Studio la Città, 2023