Bose Krishnamachari Resigns From Kochi-Muziris Biennale Foundation
On a humid evening in Fort Kochi, as the light softens over the serene backwaters and the gentle sea breeze carries fragments of conversation from bustling cafés and busy ferry jetties, it is remarkably easy to forget just how improbable the Kochi–Muziris Biennale once seemed. Today, this transformative event is proudly spoken of alongside major international art exhibitions globally. However, its beginnings were marked by profound uncertainty, crumbling colonial warehouses, fragile finances, bureaucratic scepticism, and the larger challenge of introducing large-scale contemporary art to audiences mostly unfamiliar with it.
From Humble Origins to Cultural Powerhouse
From those deeply uncertain beginnings emerged what is now recognized as one of South Asia’s most significant cultural platforms. A pivotal figure in its remarkable evolution was Bose Krishnamachari, an accomplished artist, dedicated organizer, skilled negotiator, and often the most visible face of the biennale. Now, as he formally resigns from the biennale foundation, he leaves behind much more than just an institution. He leaves a working model of how artists, collaborating energetically beyond traditional metropolitan power centres, can successfully build and sustainably maintain a world-class artistic platform.
Bose explains that the decision to step down was neither abrupt nor impulsive, but rather a carefully considered choice made after thorough reflection. Family commitments, he admits, had long been placed on the back burner. Years of intense scrutiny, often becoming personal whenever the biennale faced controversy, had also understandably taken their toll.
"This is truly the best time," he states, explaining that the foundation has successfully secured funding commitments sufficient for at least two more editions. "Internationally, this latest edition drew some of the strongest critical responses and generated so many positive stories. I genuinely felt the timing was absolutely right."
The Genesis of an Artistic Vision
The visionary idea that ultimately became the Kochi–Muziris Biennale crystallised decisively in 2010 following a televised interview in which Bose passionately argued that Kerala possessed immense artistic talent but critically lacked institutional vision. Then culture minister M A Baby met him soon afterwards. Initial conversations about supporting students through art auctions quickly expanded ambitiously into a larger dream: An international biennale deeply rooted in Kerala’s rich history of global exchange and cultural dialogue.
Those foundational discussions, driven more by mutual trust than formal planning, effectively laid the essential groundwork for what would be officially named the Kochi–Muziris Biennale, anchoring contemporary art firmly to the symbolic geography of ancient Muziris, Kerala’s legendary historic port.
Navigating Financial and Logistical Challenges
As the ambitious proposal entered government corridors, initial enthusiasm quickly collided with harsh fiscal reality. Early hopes of substantial central funding unfortunately collapsed. At that critical juncture, then finance minister Thomas Isaac crucially helped secure an initial Rs 5 crore allocation, what Bose later gratefully termed "confidence money." Combined with generous artist contributions and supportive private networks, it made practical execution possible. Isaac also wisely stressed the importance of historical grounding, strategically positioning Muziris as a powerful metaphor for Kerala’s ancient maritime networks and cosmopolitan heritage.
Bose had initially calculated a substantial budget of Rs 102 crore after meticulously studying established biennales like Venice, Sao Paulo, and Havana, events that are largely initiated, owned, and sustained by city councils, state bodies or national cultural institutions, where infrastructure, logistics and artistic support are seamlessly embedded within long-term ecosystems. That figure was soon realistically recognized as unattainable within Kerala’s specific context.
A Distinctly Artist-Driven Model
Unlike these conventional city or state-led models, the Kochi Biennale emerged distinctively from the very beginning as a genuinely artist-driven initiative, built not upon rigid municipal structures but upon solidarity, trust, and collective commitment within the vibrant art community. Artists, colleagues, and cultural comrades extended extraordinary support, often operating beyond formal structures, which became the resilient foundation upon which the biennale was successfully realized. This powerful spirit of mutual support and shared responsibility played an absolutely crucial role in shaping Kochi as a distinctly homegrown and organic biennale.
At early meetings, he was bluntly informed that Kerala’s entire cultural allocation fell far short of requirements. What followed was strategic recalibration rather than retreat. Dilapidated warehouses were creatively repurposed. Dedicated volunteers replaced professional crews. Resourceful artists thoughtfully adapted their works to spaces shaped by humidity, decay and improvisation. Constraints ultimately became identity: A biennale uniquely shaped by site, history and material reality.
Upholding Artistic Integrity and Autonomy
From the outset, the biennale navigated a delicate balance between essential private funding and uncompromised artistic autonomy. Bose is unequivocal: Financial support never translated into creative interference.
"We received offers from large corporate groups, but the board wisely chose not to accept them, firmly keeping with the biennale’s ethical position," he affirms.
The pressures were not merely financial. Over the years, he fielded numerous calls from powerful individuals seeking influence—persistent requests for exhibition space, preferential inclusion, or symbolic presence. "If I said no, the biennale could potentially suffer. Sometimes it genuinely did," he admits candidly. "But ethics fundamentally matter. I simply do not bend to pressure."
That principled stance became both the institution’s moral backbone and an occasional source of friction.
Managing Controversy and Curatorial Freedom
Complex questions around censorship and removed artworks surfaced periodically when works intersected with religious or political sensitivities. Bose stresses that such decisions properly lie with curators. "Curatorial decisions understandably vary. Each curator approaches risk and context differently." That decentralized structure, granting curatorial autonomy even amid controversy, became another defining feature of the biennale’s governance philosophy.
Future Directions and Personal Reflections
Though stepping away from Kochi, he is certainly not retreating from art entirely. Exciting proposals for new biennales are actively emerging across India, in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
His response remains consistent. "I’ll gladly advise," he says. "But I do not want the responsibility of running another one." His conditions are firm: Artistic freedom is absolutely non-negotiable—and expensive. "My time is expensive," he adds with a knowing laugh. "Artistic freedom ultimately costs more than any curator’s fee."
Bose envisions the Kochi-Muziris Biennale expanding geographically. The latest edition extended successfully to Willington Island; he believes future editions could potentially include Alappuzha and other significant sites. "Simultaneous locations make perfect sense," he suggests.
Roots in Kerala and Artistic Philosophy
To fully understand Bose’s unique worldview, one must return to Mangattukara, a small village near Angamaly where he was born. Surrounded by lush paddy fields, tranquil water bodies, grazing cattle, and gentle low hills, he grew up in a picturesque landscape that would later deeply inform his visual sensibility. A serious illness in late adolescence became a profound turning point. Hospitalized for extended periods, he turned intensively to reading, drawing and political writing. Art entered his life meaningfully through magazines and cultural journals before any formal training.
In 1985 he moved to Mumbai to study at the prestigious Sir JJ School of Art. "Because of Mumbai, I truly became somebody," he reflects, though Kerala remained his unwavering ethical anchor. That compelling duality—cosmopolitan exposure with deep local rootedness—defined both his artistic practice and innovative institution-building.
As an artist, he has been intentionally selective. "Only three major shows in 15 years," he notes. Financial success followed, but he remains refreshingly dismissive of money as a primary motivator. "Money is not the essential thing," he asserts. "Passion is paramount, funds naturally follow."
Critical Perspectives on Urban Development
Freed from institutional duty, he speaks more openly about Kochi’s rapidly changing landscape, criticizing heritage encroachments with concern. "They are actively spoiling the city," he states bluntly. "Aesthetics, ecology, humanity—everything is fundamentally at stake. This would simply not happen in European cities." On artistic freedom, he turns sombre. "Many parts of the country are unfortunately not conducive for art anymore," he observes.
Kerala, he believes, remains an ideal, if imperfect, space for vibrant cultural life—one where constructive dialogue is still genuinely possible and dissent not immediately criminalized.
