Dolcy D’Cruz
The quiet village roads lined by whitewashed Goan homes or the stillness in the air broke by the birds chirping is quickly disappearing all over Goa. One village that is always in the limelight for changing its landscape too soon is Assagao. A group of Goan artists took their weekend breaks to soak in the village life of Assagao and bring out its true character in their artworks. ‘Assagao, My Muse’ is this celebration of bringing to the eye, a piece of Goa that is often ignored though it is right in front of us. The exhibition at the Victor D’Mello Community Centre (VDCC), Assagao is part of the ‘Summer Fest 2026’ programme being organised for the entire month of May. The artists include Vinay Prabhu Mhambre, Bazil Mota, Marrisa Pinto, Saiesh Humraskar and Manuela Mendonca Gomes. “The centre in Assagao is designed as both public space and an exhibition center. ‘Assagao, My Muse’ has the works of Vinay Prabhu Mhambre, Bazil Mota, Marrisa Pinto, Saiesh Humraskar and Manuela Mendonca Gomes. This exhibition was Vinay’s idea but we leave it to them to express their art.
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Peoplecan come in and get six different perspectives of the village. Saiesh was part of the Konkani Literature Fest at the centre which was attended by noted authors. On the spot, he did some black and white charcoal portraits of them at the venue itself. It’s about art being live and people seeing, taking inspiration from different things. You don’t have to travel the world to see the sunrise or sunset or be very happy with foreign things. We can be happy in our own homes and our own villages,” says Alan D’Mello, founder, VictorD’Mello Community Centre. “The idea behind doing this exhibition was getting together as artists and going out for outdoor paintings. We chose Assagao because I live in Mapusa and the other artists live in Bastora and Porvorim. Assagao is one of the most beautiful villages. We wanted to capture Assagao in the form, which it was before, before it turns into Assagram. It’s almost halfway going to Assagram. The idea was capturing old houses, old establishments, old structures, and Saiesh Humraskar save Goa for posterity in terms of paintings,” explains Vinay. Developed over several weekends, the collection is the result of plein air painting sessions conducted in and around Assagao across March and April. The artists painted on location to capture the village’s natural and architectural character.
Vinay and Bazil showcase a series of watercolour paintings inspired by Assagao’s streetscapes, homes, and everyday scenes. Saiesh Humraskar is presenting a collection of caricatures depicting residents and local personalities. “We wanted to extend whatever our learning of art was there to the new generation. We had workshops in each field of our choice. I’ve recently conducted a workshop on painting. Saiesh is very good with portraits and caricatures. On May 16, we are having a workshop by Basil, who is going to do still life. When it comes to painting, we observe what is there and also see what it could have been or what it is not there in. I believe there is an artist hidden in everybody. My thought process is that everybody is born an artist. It’s only that education kills it,” adds Vinay. “Very sadly, most people in India, think that Indians cannot do art or we can’t read or understand art. But when your own house or your local waddo is on the wall in painting form, the eye sparkle is like, oh, we are also important. We didn’t realize we have art in ourselves. They always thought art was for the highly educated, all these elite people. But it’s not as art is very grounded.
I want people to be proud of their own homes, their own cultures,” adds Alan. Manuela Mendonca Gomes is exhibiting a single large work for the exhibition. She has been a member of group exhibitions in the past, “I actually had this painting in my inventory previously, and I decided to give it away. It’s a piece I already had with me, and since I generally paint themes inspired by Goa, I felt it suited the occasion perfectly. When you see the painting, you’ll notice it reflects a Goan village scene. I usually create my own compositions rather than painting things exactly as they appear.” ‘Assagao, My Muse’ exhibition will be on display till May 16. The next activity to follow at the Victor D’Mello Community Centre is the Assagao’s Mega Art Competition Prize Bonanza, an art competition in three categories. The last date to register for the competition is May 18.
