Curating art in China: Artist Bose Krishnamachari talks about his experience

In December 2012, artist Bose Krishnamachari made history by collaborating with sculptor Riyas Komu to organise the Kochi Muziris Biennale, India’s first such art event. The artist from Kochi who made Mumbai his home was recently chosen to curate the first biennale in Yinchaun, China, and has been criss-crossing continents in the last few months to identity artists and their works. Excerpts from an interview:

How did your selection as the curator of the inaugural Biennale in Yinchuan come about?
Destiny. Of course, it was influenced by and drew inspiration from Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB). I was invited to give a presentation on my art pratice and my work with KMB at the annual Conference of International Museum Directors at the Mori Museum in Tokyo. After the talk many of the members congratulated me and appreciated our biennale.

Among them was the Artistic Director of Yinchuan Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Xie Suchen. She invited me to China to curate a show. I said unless I see the the space, I won’t commit. Soon, she invited me to see the museum in Yinchuan. And then the surprise came when she said that she had invited me not to curate a museum show but a biennale — the first Yinchuan Biennale!s

What are the challenges while showcasing world art in a country known for its repressive policies?
I am from Kerala and have always looked at the capacity of the Chinese to make the impossible possible, their ability to make things faster than machines with immense curiosity. I have always admired Chinese films, artists, architects and, of course, their politics.  

Whoever I met or wherever I travelled in China never gave me the feeling that it was a suppressed or depressed society. The only thing one wished for was that they learnt more international languages to communicate with the rest of the world and not got stuck in Mandarin.

In the Kochi Biennale, you and your colleagues succeeded in marrying the local with the global/universal. How will you replicate this there?
It is difficult to imitate Kochi-Muziris Biennale because it is blessed with a unique location inhabited by an even more unique group of people whose whole-hearted participation allows the biennale to have a wide array of multiple programmes.

But Yinchuan also has a great history of being at the centre of the silk route. The history of Helan Mountains and at one time being the capital of China with the Youan, Ming, Qing dynasties playing an important role in the Ningxia region this side of the Helan Mountains. It is the site of one of the most ancient rock paintings.

My colleagues and I learnt about the rich history of the region by travelling. We realised that it is important to understand the soil in which we wish to sow cultural seeds. In Kochi, when we began, we did a massive awareness campaign by printing brochures with FAQs about art, culture and biennale. They were distributed everywhere and given to everyone from rickshaw drivers to cab drivers, from tea shops to restaurants. We also made several PPT presentations at educational institutions and gave lec-dems, performed skits and gave talks in schools. It was never easy!

Can you explain how you went about the selection process?
I first began by learning more about Yinchuan MoCA and studied its location and the fact that it is part of the Yellow ‘river origins’. I made several visits to Yinchuan during which I visited the local universities and met with tutors and students. I also gave a few talks about biennales and contemporary art making.

Then I prepared a concept note and travelled to different countries and continents to meet with artists whose works fit into my scheme of things. I also discussed the project with my intimate and international colleagues. All of that was very confidential! It is not important how many artists you invite but when everything fell into place it became very exciting as there are artists from 33 different countries.

As we head towards another Biennale in Kerala, have you achieved your dream?
No. The biennale is one of Kochi Biennale Foundation’s pet projects. But it has programmes that are spread through 365 days. Personally, I am dreaming of creating a 40,0000 square feet cultural complex with production houses, art/curatorialresidences, design/performance/restaurants/ gardens, etc in Kochi. I am hoping that it would go a long way in contributing to a strong cultural policy. We should be ready to bring in works from foreign museums, institutions and galleries. We should invite collectors and curators to bring the works of master artists to our country.

Soft power in the form of art and culture is the future wealth of Indiasss. We have to package it well. Every state in India has a great cultural wealth but is not promoted or marketed properly. Our policy makers have to realise the potential.