Maresia: Portugal | Goa

About Maresia

Art, like the sea breeze, is a universal language that crosses all borders. It is an expression of shared human experiences and interactions. The relationship between Portugal and Goa has been shaped not only by colonial history but also by ongoing cultural dialogues that continue today and will carry forward into the future. These dialogues span the social, cultural, economic, religious, and political spheres, and art becomes a way to celebrate and reflect upon them. The exhibition Maresia presents this dialogue through two parallel but interconnected narratives.

Maresia Goa is a group show featuring fifteen Goan artists whose works capture the many layers of Portuguese influence on Goa. Cultural fusion emerges as a key theme, showing the amalgamation of Portuguese and Goan traditions in cuisine, lifestyle, and daily rituals. Some works explore Goa’s religious transformation, blending Christianity and Hinduism while preserving traces of earlier practices, while others address the colonial legacy in architecture, clothing, and craft. Together, these works form a visual diary of Goa’s evolving identity.

Maresia Portugal is a solo show by Portuguese artist Ivo Moreira. Created during his two and a half years in Goa, his works reflect a deeply personal journey shaped by two decades of travel to India. Influenced by Indian philosophy, Portuguese literature, and a wide range of artistic and spiritual sources, Ivo’s art embodies an ongoing inner and outer exploration. His paintings, drawings, and watercolours carry the sensibility of a diary, where process takes precedence over outcome.

The name Maresia, translating to Sea Breeze, perfectly encapsulates the exhibition’s essence, combining history, migration, adaptation, and mutual influence between Goa and Portugal, carried forward on the breeze of cultural exchange.

Artist Statements

Bhisaji Gadekar

Bhisaji Gadekar’s sculpture reflects on the religious syncretism of Goa, particularly the unique phenomenon of crosses outside Christian houses. This is not a practice found elsewhere and prompts the question of what existed before. In pre-conversion times, these houses featured Tulsi plants. The conversion to Christianity saw the substitution of crosses for Tulsi, marking a layered history of transformation. The sculpture takes the form of a silhouette of the crosses and Tulsis, visible at first glance but requiring a second look for full recognition, where the shadows of the two structures become one, mirroring the syncretic state of Goa’s identities.

Diptej Vernekar

In Spirituality Machine, Diptej Vernekar draws from the Goan Catholic tradition of offering wax replicas of body parts at church altars to seek blessings, such as wax babies for aspiring parents and wax hearts for those with heart conditions. He fuses this with the Hindu ritual of bathing deities using a brass urn called the Abhishek Patra. Here, the Abhishek Patra is filled with wax offerings that melt and drip down, referencing both traditions. Diptej also nods to the church’s practice of recycling these wax offerings, using the melting process as a metaphor for spiritual and material renewal.

Kalidas Mhamal

Kalidas explores the cultural journey of Pao, bread introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century and once resisted by Hindus, but now inseparable from Goan life. Today, the Poder or bread man pedals through every neighbourhood, delivering bread to households of all religions. The work captures this shared ritual and the way a once foreign food became a unifying staple in Goan culture.

Pradeep Naik

Pradeep’s work offers an abstract interpretation of Goa’s fields, subtly interwoven with elements of Portuguese architecture. At its centre stands the image of a church rising amidst expansive green fields, an iconic Goan image. Through this composition, the painting reflects the everyday imprints of cultural exchange and the gradual transformation of the landscape.

Rajendra Mardolkar

The first printing press in India was brought to Goa by the Portuguese in 1556. Rajendra reflects on the historical accident that led to its arrival and its transformative impact on printing. His work juxtaposes woodcut blocks, the medium preceding the press, with prints of old Goan presses. This contrast between indigenous and colonial technologies becomes a meditation on the evolution of media.

Sachin Naik

Sachin’s art traverses layers of cultural mingling, from the iconic Portuguese-era azulejo tiles to Carnival and Banderam festivals. As a farmer, he also addresses colonialism’s impact on agriculture, highlighting Portuguese-origin crops now part of Goa’s food culture. In his compositions, a central figure is surrounded by motifs such as the Galo de Barcelos and the Caravel, with the sea in the background as both a literal and symbolic reminder of Portuguese arrival.

Santosh Morajkar

Santosh’s nostalgic work revolves around the Poders, bread makers who are woven into Goa’s daily rhythm. He recalls childhood chats with them, noting that while many modern Poders come from outside Goa, the bread itself has gained national popularity. His art preserves the warmth and familiarity of these everyday exchanges.

Shailesh Dabholkar

Shailesh’s work captures stories from his mother about diving for oysters in the Goan backwaters, a scene of livelihood and resilience. In times when Portuguese officials inspected the waters, divers would hide underwater, breathing through hollow papaya stems. The work reflects of the realities of the colonial rule and how design evolved through necessity.

Shilpa Naik Mayenkar

Shilpa tells the story of the marigold flower, brought to Goa by Portuguese traders and now integral to Indian rituals across communities. The marigold’s journey speaks to cultural adoption and transformation, showing how something foreign can become deeply rooted in local traditions.

Shripad Gurav

Shripad examines the changes in Goan dress styles under Portuguese influence. Neo-Christian men gradually traded the dhoti and angavastram for European coats and ties. His work also reflects on lifestyle shifts and how Goan landscapes, architecture, and attire carry a persistent Portuguese aesthetic.

Siddharth Gosavi

Siddharth’s artwork depicts a Goan Christian bride in a long white gown adorned with the traditional Chudo bangles, a symbol of cultural fusion and syncretism. It celebrates the continuity of older customs within new frameworks, showing the resilience of tradition through adaptation.

Siddharth Kerkar

Siddharth pays tribute to the iconic red oxide paint of Goan houses. He collected scrapings from the Panjim Bus Stand, bearing decades of layered history, and transformed them into abstractions that honour this distinct visual identity.

Siddhesh Chari

Siddhesh examines the rooster motif in Goan art and architecture, tracing it back to Portuguese influence. He also explores the hybrid “Goan architecture” style, often mistaken for purely Portuguese, that has emerged over centuries as a unique regional language.

Viraj Naik

Viraj narrates the voyages of colonial explorers, with special attention to attire as a projection of authority. His work reflects on Goa’s role as a hub of sea routes, now replaced by modern transport, but still present in cultural memory.

Subodh Kerkar

Subodh presents portraits of Jesus Christ, not as a religious icon but as a fisherman of Goa. He draws from the historical moment when Vasco da Gama’s envoy stated they came “for pepper and for Christ,” reflecting Christianity’s deep but complex influence in Goa, where today about a quarter of the population is Catholic.

Ivo Moreira (Portuguese Artist)

Ivo’s art is an introspective journey shaped by 20 years of travel to India and over two years working in Goa. His work, which includes 30 black-and-white drawings, 30 watercolours, and several canvases, merges quotes from the Bhagavad Gita, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Portuguese poetry, and music lyrics. Often attaching wings to objects, Ivo sees flight as ultimate freedom. His drawings, naïve and spontaneous, function like diaries, privileging process over outcome. His art is a spiritual travelogue, a conversation between cultures.

Exhibition Flow and Experience

The exhibition unfolds in two parts:

• Maresia Goa: Goan artists respond to the Portuguese presence in architecture, cuisine, religion, and everyday life.
• Maresia Portugal: A Portuguese artist reflects on India’s philosophical and cultural influence.

Programs include:

• Guided tours with curators and artists.
• Artist talks on process and historical research.
• Workshops on Indo-Portuguese art forms.
• Panel discussions on cultural exchange.

Acknowledgements

Published by
Museum of Goa (MOG)
In association with the Consulate General of Portugal and
Camões – Centro de Língua Portuguesa

Curatorial Essay
Dr. Subodh Kerkar, in collaboration with Pradeep Naik

Exhibition Design
Pradeep Naik, Ivo Moreira, Sharada Kerkar

Photographs
Artworks courtesy of individual artists and the Museum of Goa (MOG)

Catalogue Design
Manasi Mhamal

Cover Design
Manasi Mhamal