12X12 AT CASA GOA

The 12^th of  December 2012 resonated with special vibrations for the total human race. This combination of numbers will never come back in our lifetime. Whatever the numerologists might interpret, the artists from Goa did what they are good at – paint.

Pradeep Naik, a well-established young artist with a reputation to churn out interesting compositions, got excited about the numerical magic that got the whole world worked-up. ‘12 artists producing works of size 12x12 inches with a price tag of rupees 12,000/- made the whole idea seemed very exciting to me,’ says Pradeep who coordinated the show that was held at ‘Casa Goa’ in Baga.

‘Cezar Pinto came to my rescue by offering me his art gallery at his style shop – Casa Goa’ and December 12^th of 2012 seemed the best option to have a public display of the creations,’ explains Pradeep.

The show titled ‘12x12=12000’ has on display about forty works of sixteen artists from Goa. Kalidas Mhamal, Rajendra Usapkar, Ramdas Gadekar, Kedar Dhondu, Santosh Morajkar, Pradeep Naik, Chaitali Morajkar, Vitesh naik, Shilpa Mayekar Naik, Vasudev Shetye, Siddharth Gosavi, Vijai Bhandare, Subodh Kerkar, Sachin Naik, Viraj Naik, Preetesh Naik and Shripad Gurav have exhibited their interesting miniature sized works.

Rajendra exhibited a forceful mixed media work. Lines remain his strength and blobs of vibrant red hue spread to accommodate the forms. Kedar’s impressive ‘Landscape’ was an example in photo-realism. Commenting on environmental issues, Kedar speaks of the narrow space we are left with to maneuver out of the mess.

Santosh jumps to make a satirical comment on the level of extreme trepidation and experience common man has on their visit to the market. ‘It’s time for Gods to come at our rescue,’ says Santosh with subdued exasperation. ‘Flight to Goa’ is an interesting creation by Vitesh. He’s an artist to have a close watch on for his consistently qualitative output. ‘Feather I, II & III’ by Shilpa is a treat to the eye and displays her delicate handling of lines and detailed observation.

Vasudev plays with the texture and builds forms out of it. Siddharth’s ‘Shiva’ and ‘Ganesh’ gets a rework without changing the core philosophical element expected in it. The painstaking etching of lines and the collective built-up into a form resonates the dedication of this promising craftsman. ‘We have locked Nature…. But have Lost The Key’ by Vijai speaks of his intellectual caliber and his approach towards the art of painting. He lifts the level of painting into different stratum.

Besides these, the others had put up good show. If in the USA, furniture designers came together to celebrate this concept, the artists in Goa did a far more commendable job by creating art works in spite of the spatial constraint. Being used to painting on a larger format canvas, they did paint within 12x12 inches of paper space.

‘The response was overwhelming and the artists produced extremely marvelous works in spite of the short notice given to them,’ says Cezar Pinto, the owner of Casa Goa at Baga, said before adding, ‘A novel concept drew a lot of art enthusiasts and admirers which made it a day and effort worthwhile.’