Tag: contemporary art

Events in Goa

Human Stories Behind Borders: ‘Displacement’ at Serendipity Arts Festival Explores Migration and Exile

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Migration and displacement, often discussed through numbers and geopolitical debates, take on deeply human dimensions at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 through the exhibition Displacement, curated by art historian Rahaab Allana. Open to viewing at The Old PWD Complex in Panaji, the exhibition brings together artists from South Asia and the Gulf region whose works reflect lived experiences of exile, asylum and rupture.

Allana situates the exhibition within the context of recent global migration trends, noting that 2024 witnessed record levels of displacement worldwide. From conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan to internal displacement within South Asia, the curator connects global crises with local and regional realities. These transitions, shaped by racism, border anxieties and minority-majority debates, form the conceptual backbone of Displacement.

The exhibition foregrounds image-based practices that confront today’s volatile socio-political landscape. While wars, territorial conflicts and ideologies dominate headlines, Allana stresses that it is ultimately human lives that bear the consequences. The works on display insist on a humanist approach, using art as a provocation for dialogue and empathy at a time of increasing polarisation.

Many of the artists featured are themselves living in exile or seeking asylum far from their homelands. Their works speak of both internal and external displacement, addressing themes of severance, surveillance, memory and loss, while also revealing how art becomes a means of survival and community-building. Through creative expression, these artists forge connections and shared spaces even while navigating life in exile.

Among the notable works is that of Afghan artist Hadi Ranaward, whose piece maps Kabul with delicate origami planes and helicopters hovering above the city. The shadows they cast evoke constant scrutiny and surveillance, capturing the psychological reality of living under watch and within contested spaces. Such works invite viewers to reflect not only on territory and power, but on the everyday lives shaped by them.

Trained in art history and photography, Allana’s curatorial practice has long focused on decolonising visual narratives, a sensibility that is evident throughout the exhibition. Rather than closing conversations, Displacement opens them up, encouraging viewers to ask questions and engage with perspectives that are often marginalised.

At its core, Displacement resists simplification. It does not seek easy resolutions but instead insists on complexity, compassion and attentiveness. Within the broader framework of the Serendipity Arts Festival, the exhibition stands as a reminder that behind every migration story is a human life — carrying memory, trauma, hope and the enduring need to belong.

Events in Goa

Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 Day 2 Unfolds with Jazz Grooves, Motown Memories and Immersive Visual Worlds

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The second day of Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 unfolded as a vibrant celebration of sound, memory and visual storytelling, reaffirming the festival’s commitment to diverse artistic expressions spread across multiple venues in Panjim. Audiences moved seamlessly between music, film, exhibitions and culinary experiences, encountering art that invited both participation and reflection.

At The Arena at Nagalli Hills, the evening’s musical journey began with The Revisit Project, curated by Zubin Balaporia and Ehsaan Noorani. Known for demystifying the complexities of jazz, the band delivered a powerful blend of groove-driven rhythms, old-school funk and contemporary jazz, weaving pointed observations about life, love and politics in India into their performance. The set offered a refreshing balance of technical precision and emotional accessibility, drawing in both seasoned listeners and new audiences.

The night reached a celebratory high with Motown Madness, also curated by Zubin Balaporia. The high-energy concert paid tribute to the iconic Motown sound that shaped generations, transporting audiences through timeless hits associated with legends like Michael Jackson, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. The performance blended nostalgia with exuberance, turning the venue into a space of collective joy and shared musical memory.

Reflecting on the evening, Balaporia noted that the curation was about embracing the vast emotional range of music — from the sharp, contemporary language of jazz to the enduring warmth of Motown. Despite their differences, he observed, both performances met on common ground through rhythm, storytelling and shared energy.

Meanwhile, the Captain of Ports Jetty in Old Goa continued to host unique experiences aboard the Barge installation. The Silent Film Screening by Aldona Video Club transformed the floating venue into an intimate cinema, where audiences engaged with cinema that both honoured and questioned traditional narrative forms. The collective’s approach examined representation and media boundaries, offering a contemplative counterpoint to the city’s musical pulse.

From December 14 onwards, exhibitions across festival venues opened to the public, further expanding the festival’s immersive landscape. At the Directorate of Accounts, Multiplay 02: Soft Systems, curated by Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra, invited visitors into a participatory environment designed as a sandbox for collective experience. Featuring works by artists including Chunky Move, Jayasimha Chandrashekar, Alke Reeh, Bwanga Kapumpa and Teja Gavankar, the exhibition encouraged acts of care, rest and attention — from modelling clay portraits in the dark to listening to the sounds of trees and birds. The curators described the project as a tender constellation of practices that hold space, invite participation and foster connection through touch, rhythm and generosity.

At Art Park, The Culinary Odyssey of Goa, curated by Odette Mascarenhas, explored Goan cuisine as a living archive of memory and migration. The project showcased five traditional kitchens representing Hindu artisans, Muslim descendants of the Bijapur dynasty, Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Indo-Luso influences and Christian descendants. Through tastings centred on ingredients such as turmeric, kokum, black peppercorn, tamarind and star anise, visitors engaged with stories of spice, history and everyday ritual narrated by the curator herself.

The Promenade hosted Urban Reimagined, curated by Ravi Agarwal, which examined the city through the lens of waste, extraction and inequality. Featuring photographs by the late Vivan Sundaram, the exhibition positioned waste as a marker of caste and class, prompting audiences to confront what urban spaces reveal — and conceal — about aspiration, excess and social structure.

At The Access Village in the Old GMC Complex, Therefore I Am brought together seven artists whose lived experiences of disability shape their creative practices. Working across painting, sculpture, photography, video, performance and digital media, the artists challenged conventional perceptions of the body, presenting disability as a powerful site of creativity, resistance and truth. Curator Salil Chaturvedi highlighted the exhibition as an essential reminder that disability is not marginal, but an integral part of the collective human story.

Together, the experiences of Day 2 wove a rich tapestry of jazz, nostalgia, visual inquiry and participatory art, underscoring Serendipity Arts Festival 2025’s role as a platform where artistic expression meets social reflection and shared experience.

Events in Goa

Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 Opens in Panjim with a Grand Celebration of Heritage and Innovation

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The landmark 10th edition of Serendipity Arts Festival opened in Panjim on December 12 with a powerful celebration of India’s cultural heritage and contemporary artistic expression. Returning to Goa for ten days of immersive experiences, the opening day reflected the festival’s enduring vision of bridging tradition and innovation through art.

The evening commenced with the inauguration of Barge at the Captain of Ports Jetty in Old Goa, where Founder-Patron Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal welcomed audiences to the milestone edition. Reflecting on the journey of the festival, he described Serendipity Arts as a movement that has grown into a shared cultural space connecting artists, communities, and audiences across disciplines. The 10th edition, he noted, is dedicated to Mukta Munjal, whose early initiatives in the arts continue to inspire the festival’s spirit.

Curated by Veerangana Solanki, Barge transformed a floating structure into an experiential space exploring absence and presence through spatial, architectural, and sonic responses. Drawing from earlier exhibitions, the installation invited visitors to activate the space through movement, sound, and perception, leaving behind fleeting yet personal imprints.

The opening continued at Nagalli Hills with Palette(s), a striking performance by Cédric Gagneur and Marc Oosterhoff that reimagined wooden pallets as both object and collaborator. Blurring the lines between dance and circus, the performance explored gravity, vulnerability, and repetition in a raw and physical expression.

The night concluded with Clay Play, curated by Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan, a mesmerizing performance that foregrounded percussion instruments crafted from clay. Rooted deeply in Goan traditions, the sounds of the ghumat and other instruments resonated through the space, reaffirming their place as living cultural practices rather than relics of the past.

Across the city, Beasts of Reincarnations: Mythical Beings in the City began appearing along Panjim’s streets and waterfronts. Curated by Diptej Vernekar, the large-scale installations reimagined Goa’s effigy-making traditions, inviting the public to encounter ritual memory through forms suspended between destruction, renewal, and contemporary urban life.

As the festival unfolds, exhibitions opening from December 14 will further expand this dialogue. These include Not a shore, neither a ship, but the sea itself at the Old GMC Complex, OTHERLAND at the Old GMC Building, and several immersive installations exploring systems, food memory, loss, movement, and sensory experience across multiple venues.

Day 1 of Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 set a compelling tone for the days ahead, weaving together local and global voices, traditional and contemporary practices, and transforming Panjim into a living, breathing canvas of artistic discovery.

International

Autistic Scottish Artist Nnena Kalu Shatters Turner Prize ‘Glass Ceiling’ with Historic Win

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral International Desk

Scottish artist Nnena Kalu has achieved a landmark victory by winning the Turner Prize 2025, a moment widely described as historic for both contemporary art and the representation of neurodivergent artists. Born in Glasgow and now 59, Kalu has built a career centred on raw, expressive hanging sculptures constructed from wrapped materials such as fabric, tape, and rope. Her works, known for their bold physical presence and layered textures, have long been admired within specialist circles, but her Turner Prize win places her firmly on the global art stage.

The jury praised her practice as “bold and compelling,” emphasising the intensity and uniqueness of her artistic language. While Kalu’s neurodivergence has been part of her public narrative, jury chair Alex Farquharson made clear that the prize was awarded purely on the strength and distinctiveness of her work, noting that the quality of her practice is inseparable from who she is as an artist.

For years, Kalu has continued creating in the face of misunderstanding and discrimination, something her supporter Charlotte Hollinshead highlighted with emotion as she celebrated the win. She described the moment as “seismic,” saying it breaks a “very stubborn glass ceiling” that has kept many disabled and neurodivergent artists on the margins of mainstream recognition. The victory is also being hailed by disability charity Sense, which called her shortlisting alone “incredibly significant.”

This year’s Turner Prize finalists included Iraqi painter Mohammed Sami, British artist Rene Matic, and Canadian-Korean artist Zadie Xa, each known for exploring themes ranging from war trauma to race and folklore. Their works have been exhibited at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford since September. Still, Kalu’s deeply physical and emotionally resonant sculptures set her apart in the eyes of the jury.

The Turner Prize, established in 1984 and organised by Tate, has often sparked debate and occasionally controversy. It has also served as a launching pad for major artists including Gilbert & George, Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread, and Steve McQueen. Kalu’s win continues this legacy of spotlighting groundbreaking artistic voices while expanding the conversation around who is seen, celebrated, and uplifted in the art world.

With £25,000 awarded to the winner and £10,000 to each shortlisted artist, the prize remains one of the most influential in the global art landscape. Kalu’s triumph is being recognised not only as a personal achievement but also as an important cultural moment — one that promises to open doors for future generations of disabled and neurodivergent artists. Her perseverance, creativity, and commitment to her vision have culminated in a victory that resonates far beyond the gallery walls.

Events in Goa

Panjim Transforms into a Living Canvas for the 10th Serendipity Arts Festival

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The Serendipity Arts Festival, India’s premier multi-disciplinary arts festival, returns to Panjim, Goa for its landmark 10th edition from December 12-21, 2025. This year, the festival transforms the city into a living canvas with immersive exhibitions, dynamic performances, interactive workshops, and public art installations across multiple iconic venues.

At Miramar Beach, the festival unveiled Terra Grove, the latest installation by renowned architect Vinu Daniel. This architectural marvel reimagines public spaces, making them inviting, responsive, and sustainable within Goa’s tropical landscape. Crafted from terracotta Guna tiles, the pavilion provides cooling shade while blending seamlessly with the beachfront, creating a space for both humans and animals. Terra Grove, sometimes called the Kulhad Pavilion, repurposes discarded mud cups, turning waste into a thoughtful, functional work of art. The project builds on Thukral and Tagra’s 2024 initiative, Multiplay, and is supported by Milton and Panjim Smart Cities, emphasizing sustainability and innovative design.

Milton, as the Festival’s sustainability partner, highlighted how installations like Terra Grove align with their commitment to reducing single-use waste and encouraging reusable solutions. Meanwhile, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited emphasized the festival’s contribution to Panjim’s evolution as a citizen-friendly, culturally vibrant smart city. The festival’s presence over a decade has enriched the city’s social and cultural fabric, connecting contemporary art with Panjim’s historic identity.

Public art takes center stage this year, bringing creativity into everyday spaces and heritage venues across the city. Diptej Vernekar’s Beasts of Reincarnation: Mythical Beings in the City reinvents Goa’s living traditions of effigy-making, while venues such as Art Park, Azad Maidan, and the Old GMC Complex host workshops, performances, and interactive exhibitions. From Multiplay 02: Soft Systems by Thukral & Tagra to craft-focused showcases like Home is Where the Heart Is and Infinite Drape, the festival demonstrates how art in public spaces can spark dialogue, curiosity, and shared ownership.

The festival’s programming extends across multiple nodes of Panjim, including the Directorate of Accounts, PWD Complex, Captain of Ports Jetty (Old Goa), Santa Monica Jetty, and SAG Ground, forming a vibrant cultural circuit that blends installations, performances, culinary projects, and craft exhibitions with the city’s architecture and natural landscape. By integrating formal and everyday spaces, the festival creates an open gallery that welcomes residents, travelers, families, and students to experience art as part of daily life.

Celebrating its 10th edition, the Serendipity Arts Festival continues to champion the belief that art belongs to everyone. From architectural innovation and immersive performances to craft-led exhibitions and hands-on workshops, the festival encourages participation, sparks curiosity, and fosters a sense of community. Visitors can explore the transformative power of art across Panjim’s streets, heritage spaces, and waterfronts, making this edition a truly unforgettable celebration of creativity, culture, and sustainability.