Bose Krishnamachari quit Kochi Biennale following sexual allegation, says foundation

Artist-curator Bose Krishnamachari resigned from the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in connection with a sexual harassment complaint, it has emerged. V. Venu, chairperson of KBF, has confirmed that the foundation had received a complaint against Mr. Krishnamachari from a woman who had worked under him.

“Mr. Krishnamachari’s resignation was connected with the complaint and the KBF’s Internal Committee formed under the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 is taking action on the complaint,” Mr. Venu told The Hindu on Wednesday (March 25, 2026). Mr. Venu said, however, there was no police complaint relating to the incident yet.

Mr. Krishnamachari, meanwhile, refuted the allegations, terming them “misleading, unverified, and taken out of context”. “I categorically deny any insinuations or attempts to link my resignation to unsubstantiated allegations. To the best of my knowledge, there is no complaint pending or existing against me before any competent authority or forum in this regard. It has also come to my attention that fabricated or altered emails and messages, purportedly carrying my name, are being circulated with the clear intention to mislead stakeholders and harm my reputation. I have already initiated appropriate legal proceedings against those responsible for creating and disseminating such false and defamatory material,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr. Krishnamachari, who was a co-founder of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, and president of KBF and member of the Board of Trustees of KBF, resigned from the posts in January, citing “pressing family reasons”. His decision to step down from the organisation amid the ongoing edition of the Biennale had caused shock among the artistic circles and triggered speculations.

Mr. Krishnamachari was recently appointed the cultural curator of the Kochi city as part of a project initiated by the Kochi Municipal Corporation. Responding to the latest reports, Mayor V.K. Minimol said the Corporation does not wish to make a knee-jerk reaction and would rather wait to verify the veracity of the allegation.

Mr. Krishnamachari served as the co-curator of the maiden edition of the biennale, along with artist Riyas Komu, in 2012. In 2018, Mr. Komu had to resign from all management positions linked with the biennale following allegations of sexual misconduct.