Originally the building at Fontainhas, Panjim was the People’s High School but in 2004 with the help of the Sukhija family, which owns Panjim Inn, converted it into a gallery space in the year 2004. The Gitanjali Gallery has been exhibiting the works of several notable artists from Goa, across the country and the globe and has been able to
include, involve and engage the people of Goa in terms of art, movies, literature and discussions.
Over the years the gallery has evolved into a central cultural space, offering an alternative art studio, a cafe and a conference/workshop venue. The Gallery hosts several events and workshops throughout the year, including art history and film appreciation courses, books and poetry readings, book launches, art and theatre workshops, art performances, as well as talks on conservation and environmental concerns.
The Gallery has exhibited the works of Vamona Navelcar, Mario de Miranda, Sadguru Chendvankar, Francis D’Souza, Katharina Kakar, Raghu Rai, Sebastian Cortes , Priya Sundervali,Pierre Legrand and several other notable artists from across the country and the globe. “It has always celebrated art in all its forms and to this, we have our fortnightly film club ‘Imagine’ showcasing alternative cinema and movies and ‘Between the Lines’ is the in house book club,” said Miriam Koshy Sukhija, Director of Gitanjali Gallery to Herald.
Curated and hosted by artist and art historian Apurva Kulkarni, the films at `Imagine’ ranges from documentaries to short films to performance art as well with a special focus on films on music, books and the techniques of film making. It screens the rarely seen films with the avowed intention to explore the further reaches of the audio-visual medium as well as understanding the time and the world we live in. The club meets every alternate Friday at 6:00 pm.
Similarly, `Between the Lines’ is the book club to create a space where people are inspired to take a stimulating, thought provoking, soul-enhancing plunge into the pages of a book, travel through time, discover new worlds, meet fascinating characters and mull about the human condition. Between the Lines hopes to be a club to find fellow travellers in the world of books, exchange perspectives and enrich each other with discussions on books of all genres; fiction, non-fiction; works in translation and books about literature and reading in general. The doors are open to literature enthusiasts and book readers who are of 16 years and above on a Friday evening once a month from 6 to 7.30 pm.
Gitanjali Gallery also conducts the annual art appreciation course `Picture This’ in an engaging, interactive manner by art historian Apurva Kulkarni. It takes you on an audio-visual romp uncovering artworks from all over the world, past and present. Everything you wanted to know about what art is, its popular themes, to the discussion of its elements: line, shape, tone, colour, texture and space is addressed in depth.
For the young enthusiasts, Young @ Art is an art club for children which is designed to inculcate the skills of visual thinking through art appreciation. The club comprises of sessions sessions that engage and expose them to the world of art history and art appreciation in a formal classroom setting.
The discussions are easy going, thought provoking and challenging. Each session has a series of specially designed unique activities to stimulate their creative instincts by exposing them to a variety of medium and ways of expressing themselves. At the conclusion of the sessions, they will be able to speak confidently about their thoughts on art, and think creatively by exercising their artistic imagination. The children are primed with the fundamental modules on What is Art?, the elements of art and principles of design. The session is conducted by a very qualified art post graduate Varsha Pednekar who also exposes the students into prominent themes in art including – religion and mythology, tribal art, emotions in art, graphics, portraiture, modern and conceptual art.
