Goa emerging hub for culture, say festival organisers

Goa is fast emerging as a hub for the arts and culture, according to the organisers of Sensorium, an annual festival featuring top artistes and performers, beginning here on December 15.

Isheta Salgaocar, executive director of Sensorium, told IANS: "Goa is definitely an emerging destination for the arts, whether it is the access to artists and art, or the sea of talent that is coming to Goa to practice and develop their art."

Salgaocar said that top galleries across the country like the Vadehra Art Gallery, Photoink, Nature Morte (New Delhi); Lakeeren, Jhaveri Contemporary (Mumbai); Experimenter (Kolkata); and the Heritage Hotel (Goa) would be participating in the event which will play out over two months from December 15.

The 2015 edition of Sensorium deliberates on 'Love' in its various avatars which are expected to come alive through installations, sculptures, paintings, videos, mixed media work by celebrated artistes at the Sunaparanta - Goa Centre for the Arts, in Panaji.

"The second edition of Sensorium gives love, something that has become irrelevant, central focus. We explore love through various trajectories namely the divine, relational and loss. This is depicted in the tapestry of works by 40 of the country's finest and most prominent artists," Sensorium's exhibitions curator Leandre D'Souza said.

The performance art chapters for the event will be curated by globally feted performance artist Nikhil Chopra, along with Madhavi Gore and Romain Loustau all of the Heritage Hotel.

Edition 'Love' will also host collateral events as part of its programme, which include the Sunaparanta Annual Lecture delivered by Columbia University's professor Vidya Dehejia, the Cenere Project by Italian musicians Allulli, Ceccarelli and the Fraboni Trio in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Centre and the Twelfth Night by Filter Theater Group, in partnership with the British Council.