Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) will host an historic art
exhibition - Aparanta - in the old Goa Medical College building on the
Panjim waterfront from 10-24 April.
Curated by India's leading critic and theorist, Ranjit Hoskote, this
large-scale exhibition is intended to make a major statement. In the
curator's own words, Aparanta will prove that "Goa, far from being a
cultural backwater remote from the centres of Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore,
is a seed-bed of artistic excellence."
"Goans have been among the great pioneers in the phenomenal development of
modern Indian art," said Sanjit Rodgrigues, Managing Director of GTDC. "Yet,
our home culture's tremendous influence on these modern masters has been
overlooked. Our state has also lagged very far behind in recognizing the
contributions made by Goans to Indian art. This show will be a big first
step in the right direction."
According to Ranjit Hoskote, "Aparanta means "that which lies this side of
the Beyond," or "that which is at the horizon." It is the ancient name
applied to the Konkan coast by the Mauryan empire; it describes Goa
beautifully, conveying the spirit of a richly confluential society and
culture that have been nourished by diverse sources, among them Indian and
Iberian, Arab and Persian, Chinese and East African, Hindu and Catholic,
Sufi and Bhakti."
The core of this exhibition is the work of 19 artists who took part in the
GTDC-sponsored art camp at Farmagudi in 2006. These include Yolanda de
Souza, Rajan Fulari, Hanuman Kambli, Nirupa Naik, Subodh Kerkar, Rajendra
Usapkar, Viraj Naik and others.
This "concert of soloists" will be placed in historical and cultural
context, as the curator plans to create prominent "shrines" distributed
through the exhibition, containing rare paintings and biographical details
of great artists from previous generations - Francis Newton Souza, Vasudeo
Gaitonde, Angelo Fonseca, Laxman Pai and Antonio Xavier Trindade.
In addition, there will be carefully selected work from important
Goa-trained artists, including Baiju Parthan and Vidya Kamat. And a major
exhibition of photographs by India's leading photographer, Dayanta Singh, of
images taken near her home in a Goan village.
Aparanta also plans a seriesof art-related cultural events. These include an
exclusive theatre performance by the Mustard Seed company, a Tiatro penned
especially for the occasion by Tomazinho Cardozo, evenings of poetry
readings in Konkani, Marathi and English, and classical musical performances
from both Western and Indian traditions.
