The Rooted Nomad: M.F. Husain

For the 60th Venice Biennale, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) presents The Rooted Nomad, a unique exhibition on India’s most iconic contemporary artist, M.F. Husain (1915–2011). This dual-format independent project, part exhibition and part immersive, resonates with the 2024 Venice Biennale’s theme of “Foreigners Everywhere.” The restless itinerant spirit of Husain, the breadth of experiences he gathered and the evocation of multiple journeys, forms the central core of the many constellations of his works presented here, making us dwell upon the ideas of mobility, migration, moving across borders and beyond fixed boundaries. The exhibition attempts to unpack expanded notions on the ‘yatra’ or journey both as a crux to civilizational ethos and artistic calling as well as a metaphor for transformation.

An early participation at the Venice Biennale in 1954, Husain was one of the first artists from India to present his works in Venice followed by him representing India at the São Paolo Biennale in 1971, alongside Pablo Picasso. Through the years, Husain articulated his syncretic vision of India as a richly layered cultural mosaic, both secular and sacred, unfolding in his kaleidoscopic imagery.

The exhibition, curated by Roobina Karode, Director and Chief Curator, KNMA and the curatorial team, is an intimate one that builds the narrative through his paintings, photographs, print, texts and poems leading viewers into an immersive experience designed by Visioni Srl, Rome—drawing on nearly 160 works by Husain from the KNMA Collection. Two years in the making, the complex production includes motion graphics, live action, 2D and 3D animation, choreography, and sound design, seamlessly blending together Husain’s versatile oeuvre to tell the complex story of this singular figure.

KNMA Chairperson and Founder Kiran Nadar said: “One of the driving missions of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art is to raise awareness about Indian and South Asian artists around the world and to make art accessible to diverse audiences. As the world turns its attention to Venice again, we are delighted to see the results of many years of planning come to fruition. This first-time 360-degree immersive experience created around an Indian artist who was known as a people’s painter, will be a prime attraction, unveiling the artist’s dream and desires through moving image and soundscapes. It is a labour of love for India’s most compelling modernist, who I admired greatly and with whom I enjoyed a long friendship.”

KNMA Director and Chief Curator Roobina Karode said: “The vast expanse of India as one of the oldest civilisations in human history and a new born nation in 1947 with its independence from British Raj colonial rule, both unfolded obsessively in Husain’s art and his prolific oeuvre through the decades in his 95 years of active life. It is an honour to share his extraordinary vision in a wide range of media that he embraced, defying artistic hierarchies and misplaced perceptions about art as high and low or fine and popular.”

About M.F. Husain (1915–2011)
Maqbool Fida Husain was born on September 17, 1915. He is remembered as the most celebrated and internationally recognized Indian artist of the 20th century. His earthy bold colours and expressive brushwork became the quintessential style of Indian modernism. He was associated early on with the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, and much of his work was inspired by his vision of a new India following the partition of 1947. His themes, often depicted in series, ranged from humorous to serious and somber, covering subject matter ranging from Gandhi and Mother Teresa to the British Raj and Indian urban and rural life. Husain was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, India’s Upper House of Parliament, in 1986-92, during which time he recorded its events pictorially. Weaving together religious, social, literary, and symbolic iconographies into a secular artistic register, Husain was obsessed with the richness, diversity, and ethos of India, which represented for him a cultural mosaic. An artist who was hardly confined to paint in his studio, he was a “people’s painter” who painted wherever and whenever the moment demanded. Over the years, Husain’s astronomical success and larger-than-life presence on the Indian art scene garnered both acclaim and controversy. The 1990s saw the commotion of religious extremism, as Husain faced a backlash for allegedly offending the religious sentiments of the majority community, which crested into a campaign of protests. Following threats to his life, Husain was forced to leave his beloved India in 2006. His later years were spent in self-imposed exile between Qatar and London, where he died in 2011.

The exhibition and immersive, organized by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, is free for the public and will be open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00am to 6:00pm. The exhibition is closed Tuesdays. The exhibition emphasizes KNMA’s ongoing commitment to showcase South Asian art around the globe.