The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) announced details of The Rooted Nomad, a unique exhibition on India’s most iconic contemporary artist, M.F. Husain (1915–2011). Presented at the Magazinni del Sale in Venice beginning April 18 and running through November 2024, 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 civilisational ethos and artistic calling as well as a metaphor for transformation.
An early participation at the Venice Biennale in 1955, Husain was one of the first artists from India to present his works in Venice followed by him representing India at the Sao 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.”
Visioni Srl, Rome President Marco Generoso Realino said: “The beginning of the immersive exhibition is marked by a paper plane flying across the walls and floor. It brings us back to 1947 and India’s independence. Bespoke narrative elements juxtapose the artist’s life with his prolific art. Husain loved to illustrate history, both national and personal, weaving images and words that alluded to an emerging Indian nationalism. What becomes clear is Husain’s enthusiasm for the future, his deep appreciation for India as a cultural melting pot, the importance he placed on India’s history and early art forms, as well as his openness to embrace the world.”
The exhibition and immersive is free for the public and will be open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00am to 6:00pm. The exhibition is closed Tuesdays.
