Ekya children’s biennale spurs young minds to think about future through art

A young artist puts up her work at the Ekya Children's Biennale. More than 1,000 children aged 2.5 to 18 have taken on the role of artists, and interpreted the question: ‘What does the future feel like?’ Across eight campuses of Ekya Schools and CMR NPS in Bengaluru, children have been working on the theme ‘What does the future feel like?’ through art, design, installations, technology, movement, and storytelling as part of Ekya Children’s Biennale 2026. More than 1,000 children aged 2.5 to 18 have taken on the role of artists, and interpreted this question.The biennale opened in August and has already seen nearly 3,000 visitors across campuses. It will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until October 31, allowing families, educators, and members of the wider Bengaluru community to visit the participating campuses.The biennale brings together seven themes across the participating campuses. “The themes are different, but the starting point is the same: giving children the freedom to think about the future in their own way,” according to the organisers.For seven to eight weeks, students worked through conversations, observations and questions before developing their work. The result is a collection of work that reflects how differently children can respond to the same question. For some, the future is closely connected to nature. For others, it lies with technology, cities, or machines. Memory, culture, play, and human connection offers distinct ways of looking ahead.“We are not building an art show. We are asking children to imagine the future they will grow up in and, importantly, to tell us what they want it to feel like,” said Dr. Tristha Ramamurthy, founder, Ekya Schools and Vice-President, CMR Group of Institutions.Ekya’s long-term ambition is to create a platform where children from schools and communities across Bengaluru can come together to make, share, and exhibit their work, according to the organisers. Published - September 23, 2026 03:05 pm IST