Festivals and local art: Museum of Goa showcases three exhibitions
In this photo essay, we showcase a range of artworks from the Museum of Goa.
Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 940 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.
The Museum of Goa (MoG) is dedicated to narrating the stories of Goa through art. It also aims make art accessible to a broader audience and deepen appreciation for the arts (see our coverage of earlier exhibitions at the museum here).
The museum is featuring three showcases on a range of themes. The exhibition titled Festivals of Goa honours Goa’s culture, community, and heritage, leading viewers to reflect on the land’s shared histories, interfaith practices, and evolving traditions.
“With over 90 artists and 100 artworks, this exhibition will present the many known and unknown festivals of Goa, centering on the people and communities that bring them to life,” museum director Sharada Kerkar tells YourStory.
Festivals are the stories communities tell about themselves. “Viewed anthropologically, festivals are more than celebrations—they are how communities express their values, adapt to change, and reaffirm belonging,” she adds.
Through photographs, collaborative installations, multimedia artworks, and a children’s art show, Festivals of Goa is both a mirror and a map. It reveals the many ways through which the people of Goa negotiate modernity, memory and identity.
Featured artists include Aditya Sharma, Animesh Mahata, Bhisaji Gadekar, Dheeraj Balihara, Dipal Sisodia, Divesh Gadekar, Francis Desousa, Kabir Kayastha, Kalidas Mhamal, and Kausalya Gadekar.
The second exhibition is titled Side by Side, and consists of artworks received through an open call for submissions. It received over 140 artworks from artists all over the country.
At a time of increasing polarisation in society, Side by Side is both a celebration and a provocation. “It asks us to stand beside one another, to view the world through another’s eyes,” Kerkar describes.
The Goan identity is syncretic, evolving and resilient. “Acts of celebration help us discover how deeply we belong to one another,” she says.
A showcase within this exhibition is titled Festivals as Playgrounds – A Children’s Art Exhibition on Festivals of Goa. Curated by the Children’s Art Studio of MoG, it explores the creativity of celebration through the eyes of children, allowing young artists to express themselves freely and to
share what they see and experience at various festivals.
The museum also features the showcase Seen/Unseen, curated by Prashant Panjiar, Indrajit Khambe and Sharada Kerkar. It looks past the spectacle of festivals and towards what lies beneath—the labour, the anticipation, and the devotion that make a celebration possible.
This exhibition showcases 50 photographs and was also supported by a photography grant. It provided financial support, mentorship, and curatorial guidance to three grantees.
Participating artists include Abhishek Anil, Anil Purohit, Arunabh Bhattacharjee, Assavri Kulkarni, Chetan Morajkar, Christina Fernandes, Daniel D’souza, Deepbrata Dutta, and Deepinder Singh.
There are also three giant installations at the museum. These stunning artworks feature the demon Narakasur, a Christmas tree made of crochet, and a giant matoli (a traditional canopy of fruits and flowers, central to Goan Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations).
Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?
(All photographs taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at Museum of Goa.)