TGLife
Goa Open Arts Festival is happening in Goa between February 13 - 16 at Don Joao Lawns and Heritage House in Nagoa, Bardez. .
The festival was conceptualized to bring together this resident creative community, both established as well as emerging artists, in a format that is unfettered by curatorial guidelines and open to all artists to apply with their proposed work. The intention has been to encourage and provide a platform for creating new work and for artists to retain control over what and how they show. This is a point of difference from many other festivals - that it is organized by artists and the content is driven by the selected artists and not by curators.
The festival will feature art, music, poetry, performance, dance, and immersive installations at a single venue. Many of the artworks by the artists have been specially created for the festival. Artwork of Goan printmakers Walter D’Souza, Leticia Alvares, Viraj Naik and Sripad Gurav, a photo-installation by Nishant Saldanha, sculptural installations by Rajendra Mardolkar, ceramics by Thomas Louis and art performances by Nikhil Chopra and Bhisaji Gadekar will be at the festival. There would also be a sufi concert by Hawa, a jazz-rock performance by Goan favourite The Coffee Cats, and an electronic-music night by artists Okedo and King Prawns. This family friendly festival is all about learning and play, with opportunities for interactivity for all ages.
One can take a photograph at Bharat Sikka’s polaroid photo booth or learn about rice varieties from by Edible Archives; or engage in a stimulating video game on mental health issues by Mann Mela, a collaboration by Quicksand x Sangath. There is also a Travelling Library by Bookworm - a perfect place to read and relax. There will be drawing and writing workshops with Liz Kemp and Venita Coelho. There would be workshops on clay making, theatre and printmaking.
Goa Open Arts Festival is a sustainable and eco-responsible event. Most of the material used for the exhibition spaces is from salvage. Signage is made with recyclable eco-friendly material. There is no-single use plastic policy for all food and beverage services and conscious waste management. There would be dedicated volunteers who will guide on how to dispose waste at the festival. There will be inclusive outreach workshops with special schools.
