Renowned Goan poet and author Frederika Menezes loves to create art as well and she does so by using her ring finger to make smaller impressions to create digital paintings. One of her digital paintings, ‘Tricky Elephant’ is now going to receive the gaze of a wider audience who appreciates art at the one of a kind art exhibition, The Art Inc. The exhibition is by artists with disabilities who bring out their talent to various medium on canvas, like 18-year-old artist Tanish Kinalkar, who has a visual impairment, yet brought out a beautiful scenery using acrylic paint on canvas to create this painting, 60-year-old artist Dylan Arthur, taking inspiration from eminent artists like Picasso, Van Gogh to create an oil painting on canvas or 33-year-old Nigel Lazarus De Souza, who captured the beauty of Fontainhas through ink and watercolour on paper.
These are just a few of the 100 paintings that will be on display at the 'Art Inc.' exhibition, a collaborative event at the Museum of Goa (MOG), Pilerne from July 19 to August 4, organized in partnership with the Department of Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities, Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Government of Goa, EnAble India and International Purple Fest Goa. Forty-seven leading and aspiring Goa-based artists with disabilities will showcase their artwork at the exhibition to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the art space.
Guruprasad Pawaskar, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, said, “This first-of-its-kind ‘Art Inc.’ exhibition for persons with disabilities (PwDs) is organized to showcase the talent and creativity of Goan artists with disabilities. Our goal is to foster a more inclusive art community and offer a platform for these artists to gain recognition and support. By providing a venue for artists with disabilities to display and sell their artwork, this exhibition empowers them to achieve financial independence. Ultimately, we aim to create an inclusive and accessible creative space for everyone.”
Over 65 artists with disabilities and organizations supporting them responded to the open call for submissions, submitting more than 150 artworks. From these, 100 artworks by 47 artists, including both seasoned practitioners and those making their public exhibition debut, have been selected for display and purchase. All proceeds from the sales will go directly to the artists. The unique exhibition will also offer tactile accessibility for select artworks, allowing visually impaired visitors to engage with the art in a meaningful way.
Sharada Kerkar, Operational Head of MOG, Pilerne, and co-founder of the Children’s Art Studio (CAS), Pilerne, says, “The exhibition is an effort to not only showcase art but also the resilience and realities of persons with disabilities. We have been working hard to make this exhibition a smooth and comfortable experience for all those involved. For this, we have undergone various workshops to understand the point of view of these artists with disabilities, to better accommodate their needs and make our space inclusive and accessible to all.”
The exhibition is divided into two categories: one featuring seven established artists and another showcasing 40 emerging talents. The exhibition features artists with diverse disabilities, including hearing impairment, mental and behavioural disabilities, chronic neurological conditions, specific learning disabilities, locomotor disabilities, intellectual disabilities, visual impairment, and genetic disabilities.
Samira Sheth is a curator, art consultant and writer who is working on building platforms dedicated to building diversity, inclusivity and accessibility in art. As the curator of ‘Art Inc.’, she meticulously selected the artworks. “I am honoured to stand with the artists of ‘Art Inc.’ as their curator and advocate for their creative talents. Our curation process was dedicated to presenting artworks of exceptional quality and delight to art enthusiasts. ‘Art Inc.’ offers a unique opportunity to acquire art at accessible prices while supporting artists with disabilities,” says Samira Sheth.
The exhibition programming included a series of workshops, interactive sessions, and artist meetings, which helped engage with these artists and provided a better understanding of the local talent pool and their art-based skill sets. Through this process, the artists were identified, showcasing artworks across various themes, including still-life, portraiture, landscape, architectural, and abstract art.
Art Inc. is a celebration of their creativity and a significant step towards promoting inclusivity and bringing communities together through art.