Opening through a Closure

This blog is a continuing accumulation of the works and evolving thoughts of young subcontinent artists - those who were selected to present their works for the Young Subcontinent project curated by Riyas Komu for the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, 2016. The blog documents and archives works shown at the festival, as well as sets up a convergence platform for the participants to remain connected with each other, discuss ideas and build new possibilities of collaboration with each other. At the same time, the blog opens itself to comments from the public and invites opinion from the larger circuit of artists, intellectuals and art enthusiasts to respond to the work presented here.

The Serendipity Arts Festival 2016 was hosted at Goa during 16th to 23rd December bringing together on display several disciplines including visual arts, performing arts, culinary arts, music, science an so on. The Young Subcontinent project was a multidisciplinary arts exhibition that was structured around exhibitions, talks, studio visits and artist presentations over a two week residency in Goa. The invited discussants for the programme included:

20th December, 2016

Packiyarajah Ahilan, poet and art historian, Sri Lanka

21st December, 2016

Gayatri Sinha, art critic, India

23rd December, 2016

Amrith Lal, editor, Indian Express, India

joined by Riyas Komu

In addition, the program included studio visits to local Goan artists. The aim of these visits was to give the artists an insight into their rare body of work and to facilitate a meaningful interaction with the key members of the local artist community here in Goa. Following visits were made over three sessions:

Day 1, 17th December, 2016

A visit to the studio of Francis and Verodina Desouza, a painter and sculptor in Saligao, followed by a visit to the studio of Yolanda Desouza, an acclaimed artist of Goa. From there, the group proceeded to the studio of Santosh and Chetali Morajkar, located in Mapusa.

Day 2, 19th December, 2016

Rajendra Usapkar graduated from Goa College of Art and pursued his Masters is Baroda

Nirupa Naik is endowed with a special talent in painting and studied at the Goa College of Art

Sonia Sabharwal graduated from Goa College of Art

Suhas Shilkar graduated from Goa College of Art

Hitesh Pankar studied at J.J School of Art Mumbai, and Goa College of Art

Day 3, 21st December, 2016

We visited the MOG (Museum of Goa) a beautiful and well designed space by architect Dean D'cruz. MOG is a privately owned contemporary gallery by Artist Subodh Kerkar whose works have been exhibited in India and all over the world.

The above activities were interspersed within several conclaves, panel discussions, performances and exhibitions organized as a part of the core festival around several venues in Panjim, Goa.