Today's nationalism different from Independence era

The 'secular world' is now 'very different' from what it used to be and the nationalism witnessed in the country now is not what existed in the pre-Independence era, according to artist-curator Bose Krishnamachari, who is the president of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF).

India is going through a different phase now, opined the 56-year-old Kerala-born and Mumbai-based artist. "The nationalism that we saw and learned from history in the 1940s is not the nationalism that we see today," he said.

"The secular world that we used to talk about is very different now. It's not so good to hear when you listen to present tone of it," he said, adding, "You see these kinds of changes in some pockets - some cities you find it in."

The senior artist, who has the Charles Wallace India Trust Award (1999) and the Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi Award (1985) to his credit, was responding when asked if he feels that Indian art is witnessing an ideological and cultural revolution.

The artist, who co-founded the Kochi-Muziris Biennale on the lines of the Venice Biennale, with its first edition being held in 2012 in Kerala's Kochi, said the city is now thought of as a strong concentration point for Indian art, as it drew at least 5,00,000 lakh visitors in just its third edition.

Lacunae in Indian art remain and events like the Biennale become sites of learning and education, he said. He felt that India's second-ever participation in the 120-year-old Venice Biennale in 2019, albeit a great moment, should turn into a permanent one exhibiting the work of new artists and curators.

Calling Venice Biennale a great moment for India, he lauded its India Pavilion curator Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. "Individuals like Kiran Nadar, who is a big and serious art collector in the world, have played a big role in securing this participation since we have to approach the biennale for participation."

Krishnamachari refused to comment on the dropping of an enquiry into the #MeToo allegations against Kochi Biennale's co-founder Riyas Komu, which was announced in a recent statement by the KBF.