‘Home is where the heart is’ – an exhibition curated by Kristine Michael at the Azad Maidan is a part of the on-going Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) focusing on how craft explores emotions through textiles, ceramics and more, offering a personal look at home beyond just a physical space.
Considering that homes are not merely physical spaces but they are repositories of emotions, comfort, security and a deep sense of belonging, the exhibition offers a range of perspectives on how home is imagined, represented, and contested through the mediums of handmade craft. The artists who have participated in the exhibition have put their heart and soul together to bring out the deepest emotions in them in the best possible way through art and craft.
The works of one of the participants Bipasha Sen Gupta stand out for more than one reason. Lot of Goa reflects through her work. Bipasha who runs her art studio in Saligao, teaches, hosts workshops and organises the annual ‘Potters’ Fest’ celebrating creativity, community and the timeless art of clay. Her works have been showcased in numerous national and international exhibitions and are part of several corporate and personal collections.
At ‘Home is where the heart is’ Bipasha has included Goa in her art – the coconut trees, the poder who sells bread, the tavern, the village fisherwoman – all in the Azulejos designs with intricate white and blue patterns, similar to depictions found on Portuguese glazed ceramic tiles and other artefacts.
Bipasha, an alumna of MSU Baroda, evolved from a corporate lifestyle trainer to a passionate artist exploring diverse mediums. Starting with acrylics and tea stains, gradually finding her true calling in clay, her studying ceramics at the Delhi Blue Pottery Trust deepened her understanding of form, texture, and fire. Over the past 15 years, this creative path shaped Bipasha’s identity as an artist and teacher.
Speaking to The Goan about her work at the SAF exhibition, Bipasha shares, “I have used a lot of Goan images in my craft using the Azul designs and prints all over the bodies of the cockatoos (cacatua birds). I would title the displays in the exhibition as ‘Hearth’ (combination of home and heart) which seems like a perfect match, because it is traditionally associated with the warmth and comfort of home, often evoking memories of family, love and the nurturing presence of an elderly loving grandma,” says Bipasha who has given an ode to the presence of her own grandma’s presence in her home and heart.
“My earliest memories are stitched with the gentle rhythm of my grandmother’s life — her soft voice humming old hymns, the aroma of spices rising from her seasoned hands, and the grace with which she carried tradition like a second skin. Living with her wasn’t just a chapter of my life; it was the making of me. In her presence, I absorbed the quiet wisdom of patience, the strength of faith, and the beauty of simplicity. But more than that, she gifted me culture — woven through every song, every story, every dish prepared with soulful precision,” says the artist.
Recalling that her grandma was a woman of fine talent — her craft, her cooking, her way with words — all were echoes of a heritage, Bipasha agrees, “I am now lucky to hold within me. Through her, I learned that culture is not just taught, it is lived.”
Bipasha further exclaims, “Now, in my home in Goa, as the sea breeze carries whispers of the past, I feel her still. The rustle of a saree, the rhythm of a folk tune in my head — they bring her back. Though she is no longer beside me, she lives on, deeply rooted in my spirit. The gift she gave me can never be lost. It shaped my soul.”
The artists
The artists at ‘Home is where the heart is’ are Abbas Zakaria Galwani, Anuj Kumar Poddar, Bipasha Sen Gupta, Conceicao Perpetua Godinho, Harsha Vardhan Durugadda, Ismail Yusuf Plumber, Lyla Freechild and Gopal Saini, Nandini Dutta, Ningkhan Keishing, Om Prakash Galav, Ragini Deshpande, Shalina S Vichitra, Shalini Dasm Shido, Srila Mookherjee, Surjit Nongmeikapam, L N Tailur, Verodina Ferrao De Souza
