Art-enthusiasts of Goa have a treat in store the weekend of May 12-13, 2018, with a one-of-a-kind art
exhibition setting up shop at Carpe Diem, Majorda. The ‘Anticlockwise’
exhibition, featuring artwork of various kinds by around 30 different artists
from across the country, promises a weekend of great arty fun, with a chance to
appreciate different forms of art, pick up a few interesting pieces and learn
to make art oneself. There’ll also be a bit of lively light music, to set the
mood!
The brainchild of artist Shusha Oliveira, the exhibition will
put on display artworks inspired by elements of the past, as well as those
produced in the past by the featured artists; the references to the past were
what gave rise to the interesting name ‘Anticlockwise’ – turning back the clock
with work done from now to then, and inspired by elements from now to then, as
Shusha explains. “A lot of us artists work on personal projects, alongside
commercial ones, but never get a chance to put it out there for public viewing,
and hence it most often goes unnoticed. Thus the primary purpose of the exhibit
is to give young artists a platform to showcase work done in the past,” she
adds.
Shusha, who in describing herself says, “I’m a graphic designer
and illustrator by profession; besides art, I like archery, drumming, playing
the piano, singing and solving Rubik’s cubes,” mentions that the inspiration to
host this unique exhibit came to her in a rather sudden way. “I woke up one
morning and thought of doing something fun like this!” she says.
The ball was set rolling in a small way, with Shusha sharing the
idea with just a couple of people, after which her parents, sister, friends
Sheina Paula Pereira Costa and Ashwin Sharma encouraged and helped her to get
things started up… And in the end, the concept unexpectedly grew into a huge
exhibit! “Right from the beginning, I knew I wanted to do this with a group of
artists rather than go solo. But at that point, I had no clue that it would
grow into such a large group of around 30 artists. I just kept asking artists
if they would like to be part of this, and most responded in a positive way,”
adds Shusha.
The group exhibit will bring over 30 artists, from various
cities and various cultural backgrounds, each with their own unique style and
their own way of looking at a subject, all together under a single roof at
Carpe Diem. Most, like Shusha, are illustrators, but the exhibit will also
feature the work of calligraphers, photographers and so on, each expressing
themselves in a different creative medium. Visitors to the exhibition will have
the opportunity to meet several of the artists and engage them in conversation
about their artistic endeavours. Several works on display will also be up for
sale, including framed paintings and prints, postcards, bookmarks and stickers,
hand-crafted products, clothing, painted bottles and lots more.
Some of the featured artists include Priyanka Kirve, a fashion
and advertising photographer and a travel-buff who has shot editorials across
Europe; Rajeshwari Vankit and Sunit Ajgekar who, using their sense of colour
and composition, create beautiful abstract paintings with shapes and forms, to
tell interesting stories; Nikhil Jadhav, Girjesh Jaiswar, and Rakesh Jaiswar, a
trio of young, talented Mumbai boys, who, in addition to painting murals, work
tirelessly to beautify plain and dull everyday objects such as the hand-painted
bottles that will be on display at the exhibit; and Ashutosh Dhanawade and
Pratap Chalke, illustrators who both create sketch-works in ink.
Fashion photographer Aishwarya Batwal will showcase pieces from
her own clothing line ‘rilli’, which represents her love of mixing styles and
trying out new patterns, in an attempt to create something new and fresh.
‘Umber Stitch’ by Upasana Rupesh will bring out a collection of paper
stationery including diaries, sketchbooks and other gift ideas, combining
earthy simplicity with the elegance and charm of handcrafted art – “Each
product is a labour of love,” they add, “thoughtfully crafted and delightfully
unique, truly one of its kind.”
In addition to the art exhibition itself, Anticlockwise will
also be hosting three interesting workshops at the venue for both kids and
adults that will be conducted by some of the featured artists. These include
linocut printing with Poorva Shingre, where participants will learn to make
stamps with lino and their very own gift wrapping papers. Azulejos tile
painting with Ramdas Gadekar, where participants will create two-tile azulejos.
Azulejos are a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic
tilework, the use of which was and still is typical for the Portuguese to tell
stories about their history, religion and culture. And finally, Basic Vitreous
Enamelling with Meghan Salgaonkar, a workshop for those fascinated with glass
and jewellery that will focus on using liquid flux and jewellery enamel on
copper surfaces – participants will each make a pendant that will last them a
life time.
And to keep the upbeat atmosphere going, the evenings of both
days will see live music performances by a group of talented young musicians
from Goa and Mumbai – including Ajay Jayanthi, a multi-talented musician who is
too humble to admit it, and a pro on the violin; Akshay Dakhane,
singer-songwriter, and former Stage 3 contestant who writes about “odd
experiences with his hypothetical girlfriend”; Ajoy D’Silva, musician and
someone who can “turn a bad day into a good one”; and Koonal Bhandari, the
founder of Sonata Music Academy and a lover of western classical and jazz
music.
To top it all off, the Anticlockwise organisers have picked the
perfect spot for their exhibition – Carpe Diem, an Art and Learning Centre,
equipped with an art gallery as well as creative workshop and performance
spaces, located in an ancestral house in Majorda, South Goa. The venue sees a
number of creative events throughout the year… yet even then, Anticlockwise
promises to be a different, fresh new venture.
Daegal Godinho, Director at Carpe Diem, in speaking about the
exhibition, mentions, “The organisation of the exhibition is entirely in the
hands of the artists. Carpe Diem is simply hosting it. But if I had to say
anything I would say that there seems to be a tremendous amount of planning,
especially in terms of the selection of artists, to keep the field as diverse
and interesting as possible. And I must say that the organisers have put in
much thought and effort to make it something very different from the usual solo
or group exhibitions our galleries are used to hosting.”
With
opportunities to meet the creative minds behind the exhibits, to add to one’s
collection of unique art work, made either by the artists or by oneself alone,
and to mingle with other art-lovers in a beautiful venue, the Anticlockwise
exhibition might just turn out to be the perfect place for art-lovers to spend
the weekend.
