Every artist has his own style of self expression and so has Bose Krishnamachari, one of India’s own internationally acclaimed contemporary artists and curators. Born in Kerala in 1963, he is alumni of the prestigious JJ School of Arts in India and Goldsmiths College, University of London (Masters in Visual Art Theory and Practice). His paintings in the 90s brought him recognition and he has not, looked back since. Apart from bold abstract paintings and figurative drawings and he has also dabbled in photography, sculpture and multimedia installations.
What is striking in the Bose paintings are its vibrant colours and linear form. Bose believes that colours play a magical role in our lives. He is greatly influenced by the colours predominant in Indian ceremonies, festivals, rituals, the costumes and gestures of enactment. His art is an amalgamation of his understanding of contemporary culture, literature, and design and time periods. Evolving through his journey from the ‘minimalist styled’ series in the 90’s, creating an abstract black on black with white perforated paper, which reminds us of Braille, he has moved to his expression of the ‘maximum’ through his more recent series titled the ‘Maximum Bose’ where he experiments with maximum coloring of the ‘gray scale’. Even abstract patterns, persuade the viewer to think about the possibilities/stories the work brings to the fore.
He has to his credit several prestigious awards, including the Mid America Arts Alliance Award in 1996, the Charles Wallace India Trust Award in 1999 and the Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi Award ( 1985). He is the co-founder of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, which has put him on the global art power list compiled by ArtReview, a leading international art magazine based in London, in the year 2015, making him an influential person in the art world, adding another feather to his colourful hat. The Indian contemporary art landscape is truly enriched by Bose Krishnamachari.
