The Goa Open Arts Festival returns with a multidisciplinary programme for artists, families, and young creators, guided by the co founders’ belief in keeping art accessible to all
VINIKA VISWAMBHARAN
NT BUZZ
In Goa, art rarely arrives with fanfare. It happens quietly. In spare bedrooms turned studios, in village halls, in cafés after hours. Photographers edit at kitchen tables. Textile artists dye fabric in backyards. Musicians rehearse above shops. Creative work is everywhere, yet often scattered and solitary. But it is not often to find a shared space where these practices meet.
That is the space the Goa Open Arts Festival has steadily built for itself. Founded by Gopika Chowfla, Prashant Panjiar, Diptej Vernekar, and Sitara Chowfla, the not-for-profit initiative has grown into one of Goa’s most inclusive cultural platforms. Set within the historic Old GMC Complex in Panaji, the festival, which returns from February 20 to 25 will transform the old institutional spaces into a lively commons, bringing together visual art, music, film, performance and community programming.
For Gopika and Prashant Panjiar, the festival began as a response to a visible gap in the state’s cultural ecosystem. “Goa has always been a culturally rich and diverse landscape that has attracted creative and free spirited minds from across the globe,” they say. “Over the last decade it has become a hub for creative minds and artists who choose to call this place home. However, despite so many artists living here, we felt there was a dearth of spaces and platforms to support local artists, so we started Goa Open Arts with the intention of filling that gap. We hope that the platform helps to bring together the many creative communities that exist in silos across Goa.”
The word ‘open’ is central to how the festival functions for Vernekar, as it is about dismantling the barriers that often keep emerging artists out of established circuits. “Most big festivals and biennales select artists through curators, which can be limiting for artists who don’t have personal relationships with the professional art world,” he explains. “We wanted to give a chance to artists of all backgrounds, education and age to showcase their work, and therefore have an open call format that allows any creator or artist to apply and promote their work within our platform.”
Asked how the programme balances Goa’s local voices with wider contemporary practices, Vernekar says it happens organically. “Our team and close collaborators are a mix of local Goan artists and art professionals who have shifted to Goa from other places. This allows us to bring both perspectives to the table – one that represents a local voice, and another that brings a wider contemporary art perspective.”
Rather than impose a single overarching theme this year, the festival presents a set of curated exhibitions that explore specific ideas. “The festival doesn’t have a theme overall, but we do have a few thematic curated exhibitions,” says Sitara. “For instance, ‘What Remains?’ is a photography show which is about the residue left behind by absences and disappearances. ‘Threads Through Time’ is an exhibition of textile art practices from Goa, looking at how contemporary artists explore craft traditions to create new meaning and messages.”
Importantly, the festival is designed to feel accessible even to those who might not usually attend art events.
“The festival is multidisciplinary and includes music, film, performance, workshops and a food and flea market in addition to the visual art display,” says Gopika. “This means that an audience member may come to enjoy just music or food, and end up seeing and enjoying the visual art display. We also work with a lot of local organisations outside of the art world, which helps to draw audiences from other areas of interest, making it a very diverse festival audience.”
As the event has grown, the team has invited curators from different creative communities to shape specific strands of the programme, allowing each area to develop with care and expertise. The film programme is curated by Sachin Chatte, who also works with the Entertainment Society of Goa and brings years of experience in film curation. Music is shaped by Nariyal Paani, the duo of Tanvi Gupta and Ayudh Roy, known for their eclectic line-ups across north Goa. The queer performance programme is led by Avril Stormy Unger, an artist, DJ and community organiser, while the festival’s new skatepark initiative is helmed by Anveer Mehta, who drives Skate Life Goa.
Alongside these, the Children’s Pavilion will host hands-on workshops and activities, creating space for younger audiences to engage with art through play and making.
Running an independent, artist led festival in Goa, however, comes with its own challenges.
“Funding and sustainability are both major considerations, as it is a serious challenge to secure funds from the government,” the team notes. “We believe festivals and cultural events like ours have an important, positive impact on Goa and it is necessary for there to be better systems to support such efforts with subsidies
and grants.”
There are also signs of tangible impact. Through their Catalyst Grant scheme, emerging artists are beginning to find opportunities beyond the state. “Every year, two to three of our grantees are selected for residencies and exhibitions outside of Goa. Our programmes help give visibility to young artists and get them noticed by galleries and organisations elsewhere,” says Gopika.
For her, the most memorable moments are often the simplest ones. “One of the things I find most exciting is when we see different artists meeting during installation and helping each other out, and eventually even becoming collaborators. We love to hear, ‘oh we met and started working together because of Goa Open Arts’,” she says.
Looking ahead, the founders hope the festival will continue to grow not just in scale, but in depth. Or, as Panjiar puts it, “If we can create a space where people feel welcome to show up, share their work and discover someone else’s, then we’ve done our job.”
