“Goa should be what Goa can be, a creative hub for the arts,” says Sonny Singh, gallerist and
artist based in Goa who recently held residencies for artists from Russia and
Georgia at his space, The Cube gallery in Moira.
Goa seems well on its way to becoming just that. While artists
from around the world come in to Goa during the multi-disciplinary art festival
Serendipity, held annually in December for the last 3 years, the State is now
witnessing a more continuous flow of artistic activity and exchange through the
year.
Goa has definitely witnessed an upswing in art activity in
recent times. In a wonderful initiative, the Fundação Oriente, the Portuguese
private institution that supports educational and cultural activity in India,
particularly Goa, founded its first Visual Arts Award. Received by young artist
Mansi Trivedi, the first FOVAA is a step forward in encouraging visual artists
in Goa.
The established galleries have of course put on some stimulating
shows. One of the most significant exhibitions in recent times, ‘Souza in the
40s’, ongoing at the non profit Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, documents
the beginnings of the renowned artist F N Souza’s career as well as those of
the Modernist movement in India. The artist’s move to London in 1949 is the end
point of the show, which features only works produced in India. In Majorda,
Carpe Diem gallery hosted ‘Earth, Sand & Fire: The Consequences’ – a
visually delightful exhibition of handcrafted ceramics and glass by Ramdas
Gadekar and Nandini Datta while Gallery Gitanjali in Fontainhas exhibited
‘Dance of the Divine’, an expansive solo show of artist Veenita Chendvankar.
To further churn up activity in the
arts, the Museum of Goa-MOG held the ‘Raza-Souza Dialogues’. a two-day
symposium curated by poet, art critic, cultural theorist, and writer Sabitha
Satchi that brought together eminent figures including Wendell Rodricks, Orijit
Sen, Arundhati Ghosh, Suresh Jayaram, Subodh Kerkar, Hemant Divate, Damodar
Mauzo and Jeet Thayil to debate matters related to the arts in depth. Apart
from these critical shows and dialogues, artistic experimentation is being
encouraged with more spaces opening up to showcase work in widely different
media.
The design led Project Café in Assagao
has been showing more tightly curated shows while artist led space, Studio 365
Goa Velha by senior artist Seema Kohli, encourages environmental and
experimental art-making practices to facilitate research on the constant
overlapping of different cultures and influences – on people, places, material,
and immaterial heritage through its many artist residencies.
Luckily, it’s not all serious! In
another independent and wonderful show at Kala Academy, ‘Cartoonists &
Illustrators of Goa 2019’ showcased the wit and charm of artists Alexyz, Billy
Fernandes, Sanket Lawande, Rohit Chari, Malcolm Rebello, Swapnil Behere, Govit
Morajkar, Manuela Mendonca Gomes, Cornelia Sequeira, Nadia De Souza, Melanie
Costa Pereira and Fabian Gonsalves.
With such a variety on view and so much on offer – from
the deep to plain delightful – Goa is definitely coming into its own as an
artistic destination more than halfway to fulfilling its creative promise.
