Passion, artistry, exploration, and controversy; a few words that can best describe the life and legacy of the Indian icon, M. F. Husain. The late painter, Husain’s work has not only shown the world a unique version of India, but also captured a unique beauty of the world around him. Qatar will celebrate this legacy with an immersive exhibition titled ‘The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain’ and as well as a museum, Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain that honors the late Indian artist.
A collaboration between Qatar Museums (QM), and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) New Delhi, The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain is an immersive exhibition not to be missed. I was lucky to have been one of the first to have witnessed the exhibition in Qatar, following its inaugural presentation at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2024, the exhibition is now nestled in QM Gallery Katara.
Tweaked and offering audiences a different experience, The Rooted Nomad is a sensory experience; first with a room with the timeline of the artist’s life, which leads you to a curtain door that puts you in the middle of the exhibition, where the audiences can meander through different rooms whilst having the exhibit live around you. I took my time reading the timeline and admiring the archival images, taking in as much information about the man as I could before shuffling into the projection room, so as to be able to not only understand, but completely immerse myself into the experience. Simply reading the timeline, and connecting with the images left me with a sense of awe, as I was reading the story of an artist who used their talents to paint stories, emotions and history into his pieces.
The exhibit features more than 80 works by Husain, ranging from photographs, to texts and poems, films, drawings, and rare archival material, all which invokes a sense of awe while experiencing the panoramic exhibit. The mix of music, animations, and the stylized projections that cover the walls and floors of the exhibit really do take you away from the Katara and transport you to a different time and different part of the world. The story of Husain is told fantastically through the abstract experience that calls upon and references different parts of his life, the inspirations for his art life and tries to put us into the mind of M. F. Husain during the experience, forcing the audience to dwell on ideas of mobility, migration, moving across borders and beyond geographical and cultural boundaries. Moving and beautiful, ‘The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain’ is a unique way to honour a legend, by making you a part of the art.