The Museum of Goa

I got up, showered, had black coffee and bananas for breakfast, and packed, ready for Umesh to pick me up at 10. He arrived a few minutes early, and we set off for the 30-minute drive to The Museum of Goa. Bizarrely, it is located in the middle of an industrial area. Umesh was as surprised as I was - he had never been there before.

The Museum of Goa (MOG) is a museum of contemporary art. It was conceived in 2015 by Goan artist Dr. Subodh Kerkar, who transformed his existing studio into an art space with the expertise of renowned architect Dean D'Cruz. The lack of cultural spaces in Goa, particularly those dedicated to contemporary art, led Kerkar to envision an institution that would democratise art and make it accessible to a larger audience. 

The first thing I did after entering the museum was to watch a film narrated by Dr. Kerkar. He explained his thinking behind setting up the space and described some of the pieces on display. He related a story his father told him when he was a child. He said that when you watch waves lapping on a beach, you see that most of them wet the sand that has already been wet by past waves. Then, every so often, a bigger wave hits the shore and wets some different sand. His message was that it is important that you wet new sand and also, that you witness new sand being wet. I love this sentiment!

When I began to look around the museum, one of the first exhibits to catch my eye was Chillies by Subodh Kerkar himself. No other commodity imported to India has affected the lives of Indians as much as chillies have. Before the Portuguese brought chillies to Goa from South America sometime in the early 16th century, local cuisine was flavoured with pepper and other spices. Now, there is hardly an Indian dish that doesn't contain chillies.

Here, the chilli sculptures are clad with Indian textiles to suggest the Indianisation of chillies. Today, India is the world's largest producer and consumer of chillies, with the average Indian eating 543 grams of dry chilli per year. India now produces around 2 million tonnes of chilli per year and even exports it to South America.

Another striking piece by Subodh Kerkar is Goa's Ark, inspired by Goa's history. When the Portuguese colonised the area in the 16th century, they demolished Hindu temples and built churches to spread Christianity. In response, Hindus moved their religious icons in canoes to places like Ponda in South Goa, beyond Portuguese control. As a result, most temples are now located in and around Ponda.

In the bible story of Noah's Ark, God saved mankind. In Goa, man saved God, inspiring the name Goa's Ark. Today, multiple religions coexist in harmony in Goa.Read more