ARTISTS PROFILE
SWAPNESH VAIGANKAR
"Self as a creator creates creation depending on my time and space. As expressed temporally, it is a search for me and for others: a journey as in delights, passion, and devotion. Overall, it is a meditative journey with different marks, hues of colours, and forms connecting spaces with diagonals touching the core of expression.
Life has been in inscriptions of different insight, the same as conveyed in my expressions, inclined from heritage sites, culture, environment, and towards aesthetical feel. It is an unseen landscape having a journey of its own. A search exploring the beauties of different marks, spontaneous with tones and hues, connecting the diagonals creating illusionary space having the energies inspired by the Arabian Sea flora and fauna from Goa.
As for the visual aspect, my lifeline is a march towards creating images and exploring the medium. Expression is a satisfactory dialogue from society, within self, and for the spectator. My art is a journey towards peace, connecting continents, preserving art and culture, heritage, nature, etc. The steps are on the way towards social awareness; the journey goes on without destiny."
Swapnesh Vaigankar completed his BFA in Painting from Goa College of Art, Goa University (2005), and MFA in Printmaking from Maharaja Saiyajirao University, Baroda (2007). His works explore the historical connections that bind eras together, offering a glimpse into peaceful cultural coexistence for future generations. It reflects a profound connection with monuments, heritage sites, and old houses, capturing the beauty, energy, and essence of their era. Utilising natural light, he evokes unseen landscapes and harmonise ancient architectures to create cohesive cityscapes.
His work delves into ancient monuments with arches and diagonal lines, capturing the enduring beauty of Goan walls and symbolising the diverse influences of history, from the Kadamba and Mughal Empire to Portuguese, British legacies, and modern skyscrapers that shape our cultural landscape. Each work is a personal journey, depicting remnants of ancestral lands and inviting introspection into a world of fantasy. Swapnesh has been awarded various awards including the Prafulla Dahanukar Art Award, Silver (2017); Yuva Srujan Puraskar, Art and Culture, Government of Goa (2016); Lalit Kala Akademi in Printmaking, New Delhi (2016) among others. His works have been been a part of various exhibitions such as, ‘The Millennials’, Cima Gallery and Art Magnum, Delhi (2023) ‘Silk Route’, International Printmaking exhibition, Bulgaria and China (2018); ‘Hen Ten’, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo (2018); Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh (2018); Guanlan International Print Biennial, China (2013 and 2017); among others.
Swapnesh currently lives and works in Goa.