Goa
The Goan Giants Project
Taking inspiration from the larger-than-life cutout poster culture of Karnataka and neighbouring states, the project was conceptualised by designer and visual artist, Hanif Kureshi. Where he created a series of 7 portraits of local Konkani people - greeting citizens on their way from the airport to the city. These cut-outs traveled from the studios of famed Bangalore paste-up artist Deepak Sarast, and were assembled into imposing, 40-feet-tall portraits of regular Goan people. The aim was to celebrate regular Goan stories using a medium that was hitherto reserved for famous personalities.
A4 Art Project
Select visual artists interpreted the idea of Goa in their typical styles and created work that was printed in bulk and pasted across the city in A4-sized posters. Today, pasted flyers saying things like ‘PG for BOYS’ or ‘Work from home opportunities’’ constantly infiltrate our visualscape. The A4 Art Project started as a satirical protest against ‘A4 vandalism’ - something which has become an unfortunate part of our urban landscape. Exploring the concept of art as ‘vandalism’, the intervention questioned the ubiquity of visual noise by adding to it.
Panjim Art District
India’s fourth public art district - the Panjim Art District, was founded in 2017, as part of St+art Goa 2017. Over the years, a diverse set of artists has used distinct stylistic approaches to create pieces inspired by their respective interpretations of the city. Spread across key buildings of the town-centre, today the Panjim Art District has a total of fourteen murals each of which is in a dialogue with the unique culture and ethos of Goa in its own way.
Theory of Time by Daku
Indian street artist DAKU’s temporary installation for St+art Goa was set up in the middle of a street in Panjim. Creating a canopy that came to life as the sun went up on the streets of Panjim, the installation played with text and shadows to reinstate the notion of 'Time' being ephemeral. As a gameful interpretation of time, it explored the significant yet ambiguous role time plays in our lives.
Guerrilla Residency
Creating a frame around the constant battle between nature and urbanisation, the Guerrilla Residency project revitalised six abandoned stores in a lane in the middle of Panjim. Artists Amitabh Kumar, Rutva Trivedi, Anpu Varkey, DAKU and Miles Toland used these deserted stores to visually articulate unbounded imagination, effectively bringing them to life.