Challenging the norms as a creator and curator

As a creator, curator and practitioner of art in various forms and domains, Bose Krishnamachari likes to challenge and defy conventional concepts of art practices. For instance, ‘Panorama: India’ curated by him offered a fascinating overview of contemporary Indian art at ARCO Madrid 2009.

Vision as a curator

'Panorama: India’ proved to be the perfect platform for promoting the best of contemporary art from the country to international audiences. Another important exhibition curated by him ‘Everything 2008’ was hosted The Westerhuis, Amsterdam. As his curatorial note elaborated: “Photographer, sculptor, graphic designer, painter; in my concept ‘Every One is an Artist’. My concern is not with any style of practice but instead I see their concerns in how they run through art making.”

Though he put up a show, entitled ‘Double Enders’ (2005), comprising artists from his home state Kerala, he believes that art cannot be bound by regions. He mentions, “An artist should be aware of global trends and should be sensitive to undercurrents in society, which will make his or her art stand the test of time. The new generation of artists has imbibed the global influence in their work, which is heartening.”

Always keen to experiment in diverse forms

The multi-faceted artist has worked in a diverse range of media like painting (abstract as well as figurative) photography, cultural assemblages and installation. It’s important to try out new things, he emphasizes. In one such installation experiment, ‘LaVA’ ((Laboratory of Visual Arts) in 2006 he provided a reference point for various visual art practices with a focus on the five decades in design, photography, art and architecture. It was a statement on the inadequacies of existing institutions, and was an artistic intervention for him.

Philosophy as an artist

Memories that sift through the sieve of time and perspective become versions of potent reality in his own creations. He quips, “Everything, albeit impermanent, is connected to memory. The public memory may be short, especially in today’s fast-paced world. Yet, human memory as against computer memory is precious. Everything is ultimately an invention of one’s memory, and how much of it one recollects, retains and reprocesses.”

Elaborating on his philosophy as an artist, he has once stated: “Consistency in art works is a premeditated, prescriptive approach and I do not believe in it. Liberation from consistency or styles is the direction of my art.” The process of discovery (coupled with the intention) remains more crucial and critical to him than the end output.