KOCHI: In his first major public appearance since resigning from the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), Bose Krishnamachari took the stage at the conference ‘Soil Assembly’ in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale to advocate for the fusion of art and political awareness.
His seemingly abrupt exit from KBF, which came midway into the sixth edition of the Biennale, has created rumbles within the art world, fuelling a wide spectrum of speculations on plausible reasons.
Amid the turbulence, Bose showed up for the Soil Assembly at the Bastion Bungalow.
“He was already slotted in as a speaker as part of the programming. Despite the developments of the past days, Bose kept his word and showed up,” a Biennale official said.
Delivering the keynote address, Bose underlined the importance of strong political awareness while engaging with environmental issues through art. He noted that socially relevant themes gain wider acceptance when expressed through contemporary art, and appreciated the courage of the organisers in presenting such concerns on an international platform.
This is striking given how the ongoing edition of the Biennale had run into controversy in December when an artwork by Tom Vattakuzy was withdrawn following protests from certain groups who found it offensive.
Bose had then maintained that the Foundation “does not wish to take down the artwork”, only to see it withdrawn from the exhibition so as not to incite “public sentiments”.
The incident had not only reignited the tension around artistic freedom and political pressure, but also fuelled speculations that there was friction amongst KBF’s leadership.
However, in a public statement, Bose then said, “After 15 years (with the Foundation), I felt this was the right moment to step back… and to return more fully to my own artistic practice.”
“The Foundation is in a strong place, and future editions are already gaining momentum, which gives me confidence… in making this decision,” his statement further read.
The KBF has begun the process of identifying “an eminent person with high credentials in the art world” to take over as president, an official note read.