Goan artist Kalpit Goankar’s visit to Sápmi
A Nomadic Residency – Learning through landscape and people.
Kalpit Gaonkar recently went on a 10-day trip to Sápmi, both to the Norwegian and Swedish parts. Invited by Ada-Da Produksjoner (Ada Einmo) and the Riddu Riddu Festival. The purpose of the trip was to immerse him in the culture of Sápmi and explore the similarities and connections between the Tribal /Indigenous cultures of Goa and Sápmi.
He had a transformative experience during his journey to Sápmi, where he was invited to attend the Riddu Riddu festival, an international event celebrating indigenous cultures organized by the Sámi people.
Kalpit Gaonkar’s work involves the process of archiving his personal, cultural and social heritage and surroundings, using it to invoke a more global and universal voice. He bears an emotional affinity with the cultural history of his native place and roots in Goa.
His practice attempts at keeping the history alive into his narration of the past in the present, documenting it for the future. He observes, studies, documents, executes and translates the dying cultural and social history in his audio/visual language, juxtaposing biographical and universal concerns.
Kalpit Gaonkar earned his Master’s in Fine Arts from Hyderabad. His first exhibition, Objects and Voices took place in Goa in 2018. He has exhibited at various venues including Goethe Zentrum in Hyderabad, Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi, and the Kochi Muziris Biennale in Kerala. He has contributed to projects such as Unravelling Stories and Layers curated by Lina Vincent and The Island That Never Gets Flooded for the Serendipity Arts Festival’s Public Art Project 2023. He was recently awarded the VM Salgaocar Emerging Artist Grant 2022-23 for his project Tracing the Dust.
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