Goan artist Marcio Menino Fernandes transforms everyday encounters in Goa and London into portraits in his second solo exhibition, ‘Daily People’
VINIKA VISWAMBHARAN
NT BUZZ
The people who briefly crossed artist Marcio Menino Fernandes’ path have become the subjects of ‘Daily People’, his second solo exhibition, on display at The Gallery, Willesden Green Library, London, till August 16.
Bringing together 35 paintings, prints and drawings, most created throughout 2025, the exhibition reflects Fernandes’ life between Goa, where he was born and raised, and London, where he now lives, works and is completing his master’s degree at the City & Guilds of London
Art School.
Born in Merces, Fernandes says his Goan upbringing continues to shape both his subject matter and
artistic practice.
“Coming from the small village, I was drawn to an organic way of living. I paint in the same way, very local, very simple, and based on the things I see and observe. Goa is the land I miss every morning I wake up in London. I believe Goa’s soil has nourished my talent.”
His artistic journey began unexpectedly at home. As a child, his mother encouraged him to draw while she rested in the afternoons, a habit that soon revealed his artistic side. Recognising his talent, his mother enrolled him at Bal Bhavan in Campal, where art teacher Wilson D’Souza nurtured his early creativity.
After completing his bachelor’s degree in fine art at Goa College of Art under the guidance of Rajesh Chodankar and Mahendra Chodankar, whom he describes as “father figures”, Fernandes moved to London in October 2020 to experience Europe’s art scene. His portfolio later secured him a place at the City & Guilds of London Art School.
While London offered new opportunities, it also changed the way he looked at people. “’Daily People’ comes from the moments in between,” he says. “On London trains, I watch commuters reading, sleeping, lost in thought, couples being romantic and the speed of the fast-moving city of London.” Working at Tate Britain, Fernandes meets thousands of visitors every day, an experience that has sharpened his powers of observation. “I see how they pause before a painting, how families move through galleries and the quiet conversations. It taught me
to observe.”
That way of seeing, however, has its roots in Goa. “The exhibition connects both worlds, London’s everyday faces and Goa’s spirit of observation.”
Portraiture became the natural language for those observations because, for Fernandes, every face invites questions rather than answers. “I want to understand those stories without even speaking to the person. When I look at someone’s face, I start a conversation in my mind, imagining the emotions and possibilities they might be going through.”
Rather than choosing subjects deliberately, he paints moments that linger. “In London, it wasn’t about famous places. It was the commuter adjusting his tie before a meeting, the student asleep with her bag as a pillow, the elderly couple sharing one newspaper on the train,” he explains.
In Goa, he continues, it was the fisherman mending nets at dawn in Merces, the woman arranging flowers for the feast and kids chasing each other after Mass. “I didn’t select faces. I selected moments that felt true,” he says.
One painting carries particular emotional weight. It portrays a man wearing an ‘opmos’, the ceremonial cape worn during Catholic feasts, waiting to carry the relics of Our Lady at a village feast in Goa. “His devotion says so much about Goa’s Catholic faith, culture and heritage. For me, this painting is home. It’s the heart of ‘Daily People’,” he says.
Living abroad has also changed the way Fernandes sees his home state. “When you’re away, you start to notice what’s unique instead of what’s just familiar. Every time I go back now, I’m collecting subjects that haven’t been seen or painted before. The state has such a rich culture. It deserves to be shown to the world beyond the usual postcards.”
Above all, Fernandes hopes visitors leave with a renewed appreciation for the people they pass every day. “I’d want viewers to leave with this thought: everyone has a story worth seeing. If they spent a few minutes with these paintings and felt a real connection to a stranger on the wall, then ‘Daily People’ has done what I hoped it would do,” he says.
Following ‘Stories of Goa’ in 2025 and now ‘Daily People’, Fernandes has already begun work on his next body of work, ‘Belongs to Goa’, which will delve into the state’s folklore, religious heritage and lesser-known histories.
