~ The 9th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival will be held at Panaji in Goa from December 15 to December 22.
~ 1,800-plus artists from across the globe will be participating in the festival this year.
~ Over 22 venues are accommodating the Festival’s extensive programming across Panaji.
Goa is set to roll out the red carpet for the ninth edition of Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2024 which returns to Goa with its biggest edition yet. Featuring over 1,800 Goan, national, and international artists and 200-plus projects, panels, workshops, and public art interventions across 22 venues, it promises a vibrant celebration of creativity and culture.
South Asia’s largest multidisciplinary arts festival will convert its long-time home, the vibrant capital city of Panaji, into a hub for artistic endeavours and creative pursuits from December 15 to December 22.
“We are proud to host the ninth edition of SAF 2024, set to take place in the historic city of Panaji, its primary venue since inception. A popular part of Goan culture and a fixture in the state’s December event calendar, SAF 2024 returns on a much grander scale, aiming to strengthen community engagement through relevant conversations, further enhance accessibility in the arts and make the Festival an exciting, immersive experience for all,” said Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron, Serendipity Arts.
The Festival is supported by the Government of Goa, in partnership with the Entertainment Society of Goa and the Corporation of the City of Panaji, along with the Directorate of Art and Culture, Goa, Goa Tourism Department, Kala Academy Goa, Goa Forest Department and Imagine Panaji Smart City Development.
SAF 2024 will be conducted across 22-plus venues spread across the culturally rich city of Panaji — the Art Park, the Excise Building, the Old GMC Complex, ESG Building, Santa Monica Jetty, Samba Square, Mala Pump House, the Arena at Nagalli Hills Ground, Kala Academy, Azad Maidan, Directorate of Accounts, Caranzalem Beach, Dona Paula Parking Lot and more.
Since its first edition in 2016, SAF has ensured that it has made the arts universally inclusive and accessible across creative disciplines, factoring in holistic sustainability and cultural place-making.
“As we unveil the 9th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, we reaffirm our belief in culture as a transformative soft power that can invigorate economies and bring meaningful change to society. Over the years, symbiotic relationships, collaborations, and partnerships have been at the heart of our journey, creating a multiplier effect for communities,” said Smriti Rajgarhia, Director of Serendipity Arts and the Serendipity Arts Festival.
This year, 13 expert curators are breathing life into the Festival’s disciplines. Bickram Ghosh and Zubin Balaporia are curators for Music; Veeranganakumari Solanki and Thukral & Tagra come together to curate Visual Arts; Theatre is curated by Quasar Thakore Padamsee and Sankar Venkateshwaran; Geeta Chandran and Jayachandran Palazhy are curating Dance; Culinary Arts is being curated by Elizabeth Yorke and Anusha Murthy of Edible Issues; Kristine Michael and Sandeep Sangaru are curating Craft; Salil Chaturvedi is heading the Accessibility quotient.
This year, visitors can explore sustainable food alternatives, delve into climate-conscious craft practices, and engage with multisensory exhibits as part of the Visual Arts curation. They can also groove to global music beats, experience a somatic symphony through Dance programming, and reflect on human experiences in Theatre, all while participating in accessibility and sustainability endeavours in the art space. AI interventions, curated by Mathieu Wothke (Somewhere Arts) and Joel Ferree (LACMA), will be prevalent across the visual, culinary, and performance disciplines, adding a layer of innovation and exploration to the festival.
Additionally, special curators like Preethi Athreya for Performance Art, Comedy Wagon for Stand-up Comedy, Gaya Tideman for Music in the Art Park, Zainab Wani (Zequenx) for the B-Side Project, and Damian Christinger for Ghosts in Machines bring fresh perspectives to this edition. Key exhibitions such as Eternal Echoes: The Resonance of Heart with Heritage, curated by Helen Acharya at Azad Maidan, and Carbon, led by Jahnavi Phalkey in collaboration with Ravi Agarwal, promise compelling and thought-provoking experiences.
Prioritising Goan and Goa-based artists in the festival’s programming, SAF has granted them a platform where their talent can put themselves on the global art map and garner international acclaim. The Goa Familia – Archive of Potential (Goan) Futures project, curated by Lina Vincent and Akshay Mahajan, also returns, offering a heartfelt exploration of Goan heritage through oral histories, photography, and archival materials. This year, eminent names in Goa’s cultural space like Assavri Kulkarni, Shankar Turi, Divesh Gadekar, Manashri Pai Dukle, Aldona Video Club, Bookworm Goa, Prashanti Talpankar and others are bringing their expertise to the Festival.
According to Pallavi Dempo, SAF Patron, the Serendipity Arts Festival plays a pivotal role in nurturing creativity and talent. “The Serendipity Arts Festival is the most sought-after cultural event in Goa, and we are truly fortunate to host it here. My heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron of Serendipity Arts, for gifting Goa this incredible festival,” she said.
The Festival is free to all visitors upon registration. However, owing to popular demand and limited seating, some projects have a nominal fee per head. SAF 2024 also continues with dedicated programming for children, ensuring the next generation of artists is set up in good stead.
Quick Takes from Curators and Artists:
“We are extremely excited for the Visual Arts section. This year, as part of our project ‘Multiplay’, expect everything from getting your hair braided to a ‘book massage’ as a multisensory experience. ‘Poems on the Move’, curated by us and Salil Chaturvedi, will have poets grace the ears of SAF shuttle passengers, among many other public interventions,”
- Thukral and Tagra, Visual Arts curator
“At ‘A Haptic Score’, visitors can come and explore how sound and sight, as synaesthesia invoke feelings that are deeply personal, and most of the works bring you back to yourself in some way,”
- Veerangana Solanki, Visual Arts curator
“Since ceramics are a huge part of Goa’s history, from the terracotta roosters and lions, to the Azulejos. The idea was to combine the Goans and Goa-settled artisans, craftspeople with other parts of the country, especially West Bengal, as they share a colonial background. People can look forward to seeing these intertwined histories visually represented at the festival.”
- Kristine Michael, Craft Curator
“Life in areas like Ladakh has several lessons to teach us, represented in the project ‘Abundance in Scarcity: Exploring Ladakh’s Sustainable Ingenuity’. People can come see how limited resources drive creativity and sustainability, cultural resilience and the significance of environmental stewardship.”
- Sandeep Sangaru, Craft curator
For details on the curator and projects please visit https://www.serendipityartsfestival.com/
