‘Sensorium’, the annual festival of art, literature, music and cinema is all set to begin on January 19 at Sunaparanta, Altinho. Here’s a look at what’s in store this time around
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Having previously wowed with stunning works of art and thought provoking performances and dialogues, Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts, Altinho will once again come alive with installations, sculptures, paintings, videos, mixed media work, site-specific interventions etc as the third edition of Sensorium begins on January 19. Co-founded by Sunaparanta founder Raj Salgaocar and Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi (also Sunaparanta’s Honorary Director), the festival which will run till March 1 is titled The End is Only the Beginning.
“Things fall apart. This happens on rote, continuously, on different levels – psychological, corporal, in known realms, and in ineffable ways. Simultaneously they are also born, remade, renewed. What appears as a wall can turn also into a threshold – and beyond it, unseen worlds await, even death loses it aura of finality. The possibilities are many. An artist in exile produces her strongest work in an alien country. A marriage ends, and a man begins to write. The death of a parent is recalled on a canvas. The 2018 edition of Sensorium examines how the apparent conclusions in our life - the windup of a relationship, the betrayal of faith - become starting points for us,” says Shanghvi, curator of the event.
A constellation of Indian and international contemporary visual artists, some emerging, others museum level stars, from Indian galleries Jhaveri Contemporary, Chatterjee and Lal, Project88, Chemould Prescott Road, Tarq, Vadehra Art Gallery, Experimenter, Volte Gallery as well as international galleries Saskia Fernando Gallery (Sri Lanka) and Fotografiska and Galleri Kontrast (Sweden) will appear in Goa at Sunaparanta.
Among these is Gigi Scaria whose work The Ark harks back to Noah’s Ark as the sole abode of continuity in a terrain of utter destruction. The motif of the ark set in a desolate landscape functions as an archetype of new beginnings, a sheltered sanctuary for humanity as the world comes to an end. Through dire symbolism, Scaria navigates contemporary anthropocene urgencies, such as global warming, environmental devastation and hyper-urbanization.
Sachin George’s Memories of a Metamorphosis, offers a glimpse of Sebastian’s evolution and process of thought, beginning with his take on the city, its architecture and its continuous state of change. He reflects on the city of New Delhi, drawing from its transformative architecture, both during the Mughal era and in contemporary times.Savia Mahajan’s Exhume probes the transient boundaries of life and death, the in-between, and poses a simple question: what is it that survives death and dissolution?
Per-Anders Pettersson’s series of photographs titled Sapeurs gives us a glimpse of the Sapeur subculture that exists in the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The word ‘Sapeur’ comes from Sape, a French acronym for Society of Revellers and Elegant People . The movement embraces the exuberant flamboyance, elegance and style of modern European attire. Although most of the young Sapeurs are unemployed and poor, they escape their daily struggles by dressing like fashionable Europeans, and showcase designer label ensembles while paying their respect to Stervos Nyarcos, the leader of the Sape movement.
Other artists who will also be exhibiting are Iftikhar and Elizabeth Dadi, Kaushik Chakravartty, Yamini Nayar, Michael Müller,Riyas Komu, Sujith SN, Pranati Panda, Shailesh BR, Juul Kraijer, Nikhil Chopra, Nityan Unnikrishnan, Rithika Merchant, Savia Mahajan, Dhruvi Acharya, Jitish Kallat, Reena Saini Kallat, Desmond Lazaro, Prajakta Potnis, Shreyas Karle, Saskia Pintelon, Jacob Felländer, Julien Segard, Sohrab Hura, Parul Thacker and Munem Wasif.
Sensorium will also host a wide range of collateral events. This will include the Shanghvi Salons, lectures, electronic music performances, jazz concerts, film festivals, workshops by well-known names such as Shilpa Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Mithu Sen, Devdutt Patnaik, Lady Kishwar Desai.
