Works from the Goa Open Arts Catalyst Grants 2020

February 10 - March 7, 2021

Wherever a story comes from, whether it is a familiar myth or a private memory, the retelling exemplifies the making of a connection from one pattern to another: a potential translation in which narrative becomes parable and the once upon a time comes to stand for some renascent truth... Our species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories.

– Mary Catherine Bateson

Six artists who live and work in Goa retell and reinterpret experiences rooted in mythology, folklore, folk art, nature, and a post-truth world. Afrah Shafiq, Asavari Gurav, Bhisaji Gadekar, Komas, Nandita Kumar and Poonam Pandit come together in a multi-media exhibition of artwork inspired by each artist’s unique experience and interpretation of their life in Goa. The exhibiting artists are grantees of the Goa Open Arts Catalyst Grant 2020 that was instituted at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic with the intention of providing ongoing support to the artistic community of Goa.

Goethe-Institut Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai supported the media arts grant and the show is partnered and hosted by Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts.

The exhibition will be on at:

Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts

Altinho, Panjim, Goa

February 10 to March 7, 2021

10 am to 6:30 pm, Monday to Saturday

The artists

Afrah Shafiq

Multimedia artist and filmmaker Afrah, creates an installation using sound, electronic prototyping and folk imagery to look at the syncretic nature of goddess worship across Hindu and Catholic traditions in Goa.

Komas

KOMAS' audio-installation is inspired by the the precarious environmental situation that threatens Mollem Forest and its endangered habitat. Remixing field recordings they create a unique soundscape.

Asavari Gurav

Drawing from Goan folk tales, theatre and her own poems, Asavari's paintings, drawings and books are infused with imagery and characters that create a fantastic narrative on Goan culture and socio-political conditions.

Nandita Kumar

Nandita's multimedia installation deconstructs political statements related to varied issues from gathered data to create ‘a chance score’, through the interplay between language and the construction of meaning.

Bhisaji Gadekar

Gadekar has worked with local bamboo craftsmen to create a series of intricately woven sculptural dresses that reflect on his family’s tailoring profession, as well as his own questions about ideas of ‘dress’.

Poonam Pandit

Textile artist and weaver, Poonam creates a series of tactile woven compositions that draw upon the narrative of fibre, from the natural old world, into the modern synthetic, ecologic and technologic future world.

CATALOGUE COMING SOON

COVID CAUTION

Keeping in mind the current pandemic situation, the exhibition will be held observing stringent protocols which include: mask wearing, sanitisation, digital catalogues and strict control of number of visitors in the galleries.

Thank you for cooperating and ensuring we can continue to enjoy art - safely!

Support the initiative

Going beyond the festival, Goa Open Arts is a platform to support creative practices in many other ways. You can support this initiative in your own way - from making a one-off donation to becoming a patron, a friend or a collaborator.