For the second year, Goan artist Subodh Kerkar and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) teamed up to create a gallery on the beaches of Goa. In 2004, Kerkar’s installation was on Miramar Beach, close to the main venues of IFFI in Panjim, the capital of Goa, but this year, some 15-20 kilometers away from IFFI 2005, Kerkar’s installation art exhibit entitled Sea & See was the main event on Candolim Beach in north of Panjim. The exhibit ran from November 24 through December 4, 2005, enchanting beach bums and art lovers alike, whether viewed in the daytime or under the carefully placed lighting showcasing each work.
A physician by training, Subodh Kerkar left medicine to pursue what appears to be his real calling, art using a multitude of materials but always connected to his beloved sea and Goa. Installation art—his projects are usually large with a number of related works spanning almost half a kilometer—is his recent passion. For Sea & See, the materials used included thousands and thousand of coconut shells, mussels, a variety of metals, saris and a beach towel (yes, really).
For those not aware of IFFI or Kerkar’s beach installations, it was a confusing sight; all this ‘stuff’ on Candolim Beach, where usually all one sees are tanning benches and tourists. While I couldn’t be lumped in with the unaware—I had stayed at Kerkar’s hotel in Calangute a year earlier and just missed his Miramar IFFI installation (and the film fest) by a day—this year I did not know that the guest house I’d chosen for my stay would take me straight to Sea & See every time I went to the beach.
Within hours of arriving in Goa, I headed for my first look at the sea—it had been twelve long months. In between me and the sea, however, I was a bit surprised to see what looked like a laundry line…colorful saris hung out to dry, it seemed. Funny, in all my trips to Goa, I hadn’t seen a clothesline such as this, so close to the beach shacks, so close to the sea. And what was all this other stuff? A huge wall of what looked like jute, I’m talking almost two stories high, and a group of mirrors. On the beach? It was my first time on Candolim Beach—maybe this was normal?
Not quite. The next morning I read about the inauguration for Sea & See that evening on … Candolim Beach. What a stroke of luck, instead on having to head to Panjim, all I had to do was walk a few minutes to the beach at sunset and I’d get to see the installation as the lights were scheduled to be switched on.
That evening I arrived a bit early, hoping to get some photographs before the others arrived. As it turned out, there were only a couple of people around, one of them being the artist himself. He graciously introduced himself to me and, I noticed appreciatively, to others who walked by, stopping to admire his creations. Apparently the installation had been a work-in-progress for weeks and finally, I overheard, some others say, finally they were able to see the results and thanks to the banner and posters now up, what it was all about. I must admit I haven’t been to too many art galleries, but to have both the art and the artist right there, as I and others walked around on the beach at sunset is an experience I suspect one doesn’t usually have often. As the days went by I noticed others enjoying this aspect of Kerkar’s art as well; to be able to get so up close and personal with art is rare indeed.
In all, the installation was comprised of approximately a dozen works with titles such as 'Film fest ko nazar na lage,' 'Sari Celebration' (remember those saris I thought were hung out to dry?), 'Moon and Tides,' 'Fins,' '15 Suns' and 'Seeds.'
Each was created using an assortment of metals and shells and other materials found by the sea. And, while the intent was to view the installation during the evening hours with lights dancing on the metals and shells, I found that the pieces had their own charm during the day, in the sunlight. If I had to pick some favorites, they would be 'Sari Celebration' and 'Fins' because of the sharp contrast of the colors in each work against the blues in the sky and sea.
The centerpiece of the installation was entitled 'Kalpavriksha', his son’s inspiration, said Kerkar—an homage to the life-giving palm tree. As the notes explained, Kalpavriksha is a mythical tree in heaven and the palm tree, in the artist’s vision, is that tree on earth—a tree whose fruit gives water, shelter, oil for cooking and, “of course, fenny.” More than once during my stay in Goa I wished I had a more sophisticated camera so that I could do Kalpavriksha justice in a photograph, but the sheer size of the work (that huge wall with thousands of coconut shells laid out below on the sand) made it impossible for this amateur photographer to capture on disk.
During the inaugural ceremony, local dignitaries and celebrities such as Chief Minister Rane and an actress whose name I’m sorry I can’t remember made brief remarks (a pleasant surprise; I expected a long drawn-out affair full of speechifying). A small crowd had gathered throughout the evening to attend the opening. The next evening, as I was headed for my usual walk on the beach near sunset, Kerkar again graciously invited me to a reception he and his family were hosting on the beach for Sea & See. As I listened to those who were viewing the installation for the first time, it was quite clear, Kerkar had succeeded in wowing the audience; the children were especially engaged in touching and experiencing the art work.
That evening and the next few days, as I walked past Sea & See many more times, I felt particularly fortunate for having not only the beauty of the sea and Goa’s unique landscape to admire, but also the unique art of Subodh Kerkar. IFFI is supposed to be in Goa every year now. Hmmm….I wonder what the theme of the 2006 installation will be.
For more about the artist and his art, and other ventures (such as a lovely hotel, restaurant and art gallery) visit the artist's website.
For more images from Sea & See, take a look at my photo gallery.
For more about IFFI 2005 visit the festival's official website.