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ArtNOW
FUNDING ART AIN'T FANATICAL The BJP government, complained about some things before coming to power, and changed to new complaints after coming to power. Latest in the series has been Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's hue and cry about foreign funding. That he feels ashamed that we have to rely on Fundacao Oriente to keep our heritage monuments in good condition, is understandable. But one is quite sure that the government--whether BJP, Congress or any other--would hardly think of any thing beyond issues fetching political mileage when they talk and act. Several young Goan artists, painters, students, writers and researchers today are thankful to Fundacao Oriente--Goa for the little break they get from the institution's efforts in promotinng art and culture, without differentiating between communities. The budding artists and painters have had the good fortune to expose their talents through solo and joint exhibitions, which would have been nea rimpossible within their own means. Fundacao Oriente, which aims to carry out and support activities of a cultural, artistic, scientific, philanthropic and social nautre, has not only been promoting local artists but bringing to Goa the works of wellknown artists, painters and photographers, generally of Portuguese origin. This has definitely given a boost to the art scene in Goa. They also have a decent gallery where paintings and works are art can be displayed. WE-SIX
The progressive members of WE-SIX, coming from different backgrounds with individualistic styles of painting, landed up with a common idea of putting up a show together. So far, they have been doing pretty well for themselves as young and promising artists of meritorious talents. GOA ART 2000
The Art Chamber put on display a wide variety of the work of top artists like SP Chendvanker, Dominic Cordo, Mohan Naik, Theodore M Mesquita, Verodina de Souza, Francis de Souza, Querozito de Souza, Silvia Braganza, Wildo de Souza, Nirupa Naik, Jusino Lobo, Kirti Kumar Prabhu, Hanuman Kambli, Yolanda, Liesel, Rajan Fulari, Suhas Shilker and Rajendra Upaskar. The Art Chamber had also comanised an exhibition of mix media creations by AnandMohan Naik, a wellknown Goan painter from Bombay, from december 1 to 25. The arresting works on display were in resplendent water colours, egg tempera, murals, glass and mirror paintings besides AnandMohan's unique paintings on terracota pots. IMPRESSONINK "Impressonink" was a beautiful exhibtion of prints by Morajkar Santosh of Mapusa and Naik Viraj Vassant of Penha de Franca, at the Kala Academy from December 30, 2000, to January 3, 2001. These young artists are doing quite well in the field of prints. After a long lapse, the Kala Academy hosted a worthwhile exhibtion of Goan artists. Though coming from young painters, who are presently studying in Hyderabad, the exhibits were of quite a high calibre. Moreover, even the presentation was done meticulously. SONG THE DESERT
Her paintings show Rajasthani womenfolk in a wide range of vibrant colours pitched against the rugged landscape. Though the women may not have anything in terms of possession, they are heirs to a rich and proud tradition, Usha says. GOA TODAY
The rare exhibition, sponsored by Fundacao Oriente-Goa, attempted to reflect the creative talents of Goa in a variety of spheres of art--photography, cartooning, painting, ceramic and arborics. The photographs by Alister Miranda and Joel D'Souza took the viewer to the backwoods of Goa, with typical rural scenes. In paintings, Mumbai-based Goan artist Anand Mohan Naik displayed his paintings on paper and ceramic pots, and also the still-life paintings of local artist Galdino D'Souza from Socorro. Cartoonist Alexyz, as usual, had his rib-tickling Goan funscapes on view, plus painted ceramic tiles. Maymoonara Fernandes, daughter of Alexyz, also displayed her ceramic works done at the Mumbai's Pearl Art Academy, where she conducts classes for art lovers. Valentino Gasper from Verna was also there with his vast range of ceramic creations. Manguesh Chari from Mapusa put up a few items in arborics.
BONSAI
Rajan Fulari |
Four members of the WE-SIX group of painters,
exhibited their paintings and drawings at the Kala Academy in Panjim
from December 2 to 8. Painters of the new generation N Kanhaiya of
Kumbharjua, Ajay Kotthawale of Siolim, Nicholas Franco of Siolim and
Rosie da Silva of Curca, the former students of the Goa College of
Art, presented a range of works which sparked off adulatory comments
from the art lovers.
Goa Art 2000's
"Cross Section" was an exhibition of paintings by some of the
foremost artists of Goa, at the Art Chamber, Calangute, towards end
2000. In its brochure, says Omprakash Naik, a Professor at the Goa
College of Art, "The art scene in Goa seems to be assuming a
noticeable momentum with mushrooming art galleries thriving
exclusively on the foreign tourists on one side and on the other,
artists committed to their own sense of ideology trying to affect
the 'contemporaneous' in art with consistent group shows as a
collective and also as an individual reflecting artistic statements
relevant to the existing times."
This was a beautiful exhibition in mix media by Usha
Sardesai, a young housewife from Margao. The exhibition was
inaugurated by Dr Vera Maria Fernandes, the Consul General of
Portugal in Goa.
At the recently
held International Goan Convention, Siolim's Coconut Brush, under
the guidance of cartoonist Alexyz, put up a group exhibition titled
"Goa Today", at the Institute Menezes Braganza art gallery in
Panjim. 
In a
different vein, we witnessed some beautiful creations and this time
not with brush and paint but with painstaking efforts to create
beautiful plants through the art of bonsai. Daniel D'Souza, from
Assagao, has been propagating Bonsai through exhibitions all over
Goa. 
The
last exhibition was held at the Institute Menezes Braganza gallery
and drew a continuous flow of curious plant admirers. There was a
vast range of exquisite items to look at. Moreover, he has started
courses where he imparts the knowledge of the rare art to his
students.