The Tamesis
Artist and curator Bose Krishnamachari, who co-founded the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in 2010, suddenly announced his resignation. South first Reporting the news, the foundation issued a statement citing “imminent family reasons.”
The 6th Kochi-Muziris Biennale is India’s first biennale dedicated to international contemporary art and the largest biennale in South Asia. It will open on December 12, 2025 and is expected to close on March 31. Titled “Temporary,” the exhibition features 66 artists from more than 20 countries and focuses on “bodies, bearers of memory and materiality, sites of encounter, and testimonies of temporality.” A statement released before the opening.
Related articles
Since the first edition, curated by Krishnamachari and co-founder Riyas Komu, opened in December 2012, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale has weathered multiple controversies, ranging from accusations of financial mismanagement and sexual harassment to communication breakdowns with participating artists and organizational challenges.
In early January, the biennale was briefly closed due to religious protesters opposing a painting by Tom Vattakuzhy that referenced The Last Supper. (The work was shown in a satellite exhibition organized by the Kochi Biennale Foundation; Vattakuzhy and the foundation ultimately agreed to remove the work from the exhibition.)
V. Venu, former chief secretary of Kerala, who was appointed chairman of Kochi Biennale Foundation in 2024, said in a statement hinduism Krishnamachari “is one of the most influential figures in the development and evolution of the Biennale. The Foundation has initiated the process of identifying a highly qualified and well-known figure in the art world to serve as KBF President.”
