First time I heard about Bose Krishnamachari was when he burned books in Kerala as an artwork. It was way back in eighties. In a state like Kerala where language and its words dominated mindscape of imagination including the artistic, that sacrileges act was shocking. Considering this act took place much before the “shock and awe” idealization of Iraq occupation by USA and Diemen Hirst breed of YBA, it indeed was an art work deserved much attention.
There after many exhibitions later I saw him on a wonderful art work like poster advertisement of an exhibition – Bombay boys in nineties. A group of young artists bang on the face of Bombay, a city historically has been dominated by modernists for long time. These young artists were different and most of them were from JJ’s ambiguous academic set up where one has define own path and decide own practice, at times from canteen benches. ( as told by Bose himself once). This young group struggled a lot before finally hitting the market boom of 2004 – 200/8 Indian art scene. Galleries, buyers, national and international exhibitions and everything was booming about art in that period. This is the time Vineet jain of Times of India created Page 3, a big space of socialite icons in his attempt to replace the political icons from Indian social and media space. These artists were all over the page -3s and Bose with his highest visibility topped the chart. He knew visibility is visual and visual is his art. His shows and works were much in demand across the world and with his networking skills, business acumen he became big and then he decided to go back to Kerala where once he burned books as art with huge collection of books as lava project – library as art. This was again a great shock for Kerala , the land of words – many found it difficult to understand words as art or library as installation. After a point we saw him taking 50 Malayalee artists from Kerala across the country in curated shows across galleries in big cities that otherwise many of these artists would not have ever been able to showcase. Most of the artists from this show became big names in Indian art scene to the extend, many in art world complained the dominance of Kerala artists in Indian art scene.
A man of friends, Bose went on to set up a gallery there after with couple of his friends in Mumbai. But he was bigger than that small private space that he and his friend and fellow artist Riyas Komu went back to Kerala to start a public art spectacle- Kochi Muziris Biennale . If he took Kerala artists across the country in the past, this time he brought national and international artists to Kerala where art was still an academic conventional engagement- painting, sculpture and illustration. A huge resistance to the extend of trying to kill the very idea of Biennale was unleashed from all across the country and especially from a set of artistic community. There were academic, political, sociological, cultural and personal points that were highlighted in their objection. But Bose and Riyas with their friends and artists have finally managed to push through the onslaught to sustain that art spectacle. They brought the biggest names in the art world including Anish Kapoor to Biennale and the list is growing day by day. After bringing all these national and international artists to Kerala, Bose once again is back to his art - he has taken many Indian artists to Yinchuan Biennale, in China where he is curating the Biennale.
During the last few decades Bose with his natural Mallu accent and mercurial dressing has contributed much more than anyone to Indian art in terms of artistical, historical and theoretical context. Known, as a shrewd and ruthless businessman among art dealers but he had no second thought while risking that savings for Biennale a public cause. In his art journey of in and out of Kerala and now India and outside, he has changed the way Indian art is operationalized. A man of friends, he never left anyone behind in his journey and as he grew he took his friends along in his journey as curators, collaborators, fellow travellers and exhibitors. An easily accessible person, but he has never promoted anyone he assumed has no possibility in art world. One has to accept that he has the keen eye for art. Whoever he has identified and promoted has had the capacity to grow and make it big.
Kochi was a small time city known for its shipyard and jew street but today is known for its art spectacle only next to Venice biennale, something that is certainly not a small achievement for Bose and Riyas. Over the last six years, one can see the evolution of art, far from those illustrated paintings, that are evident in the art works of students across Kerala and other art and design colleges.
Unlike MF Husain enigma- individual as an artist, Bose remains an artist collective that are slowly but steadily changing the visual imagination of this country. One is sure he will be able to push through the present controversy of Ai wei wei around his international curatorial debut.
Years back when he started Gallery BMB, he did a show of women artists from India, I am, like many are waiting for the day, he is going to bring an International show of women artists from across the world. Like his selfies with his friends and socialists where he takes something from them and leaves something for them to cherish, with his journey of internalizing and externalizing process as art, I am sure we will be able to witness it in a very near future. ( photo curtesy from his Facebook profile )
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