In the quiet hum of Goa’s cultural heartbeat, an extraordinary art exhibition is unfolding to celebrate the birthday of St. Francis Xavier, the revered Goycho Saib . Titled Goycho Saib Goychea Akaran—translated as “St. Francis in the Hues and Shades of Goa”— brings together 34 artists to explore a radical reimagination of the Saint.
Far from confining him to the annals of 16th-century history, these creators dissolved the distance of time, inviting St. Francis xavier into the vibrant present of Goan life. In doing so, they offered a vision that resonates with the philosophical notion of the “End of Art”—not as a cessation, but as a transformative moment where art transcends its traditional boundaries to become a living, breathing dialogue with the world.
The concept of the “End of Art,” famously articulated by philosopher Arthur Danto, suggests a point where art ceases to follow a linear progression of styles or historical narratives and instead becomes a space of infinite possibility.
It is no longer about representing the past or predicting the future but about integrating the essence of human experience into something immediate and universal.
The Goycho Saib Goychea Akaran exhibition embodies this shift. Here, St. Francis Xavier is not merely a historical figure—a missionary who walked the shores of Goa in 1542—but a timeless presence woven into the fabric of Goan identity made real through his sacred relics in Goa.
The 34 artists, through their diverse mediums and perspectives, break the shackles of temporal distance, portraying the Saint as a companion to the modern Goan soul.
What makes this exhibition remarkable is its intimacy. St. Francis is not depicted as a distant icon, frozen in stained glass or venerated in solemn silence. Instead, he emerges in the hues and shades of Goa’s landscapes, its people, and its spirit.
He is with people sitting in hier Bolcao into just a quiet observer of the susegad life but a vibrant participant. The artists—through their painting skills have tried to capture how Goans relate to their Saib not as a relic of colonial history but as a living symbol of faith, resilience, and cultural synthesis.
This is art that does not merely represent; it connects, it converses, it transforms.The theme Goycho Saib Goychea Akaran reflects this integration. “Akaran” (meaning “forms” or “shapes” in Konkani) suggests a multiplicity of expressions, a kaleidoscope of interpretations that mirror Goa’s own pluralistic identity—where Portuguese influences blend with Goan roots, where the sacred and the everyday life coexist.
One artist renders St. Francis in bold, earthy tones with mud taken from Borim itself. Others frame the Saint against a Goan sunset of a Goa beach , while another abstracts him into fluid lines, evoking the tides of the Arabian Sea and greenery of Goa potraying the as if the Saint and made him Goan . Others place him amid a carnival of colors, a nod to Goa’s vibrant festivals of Sigmo and Carnival.
Together, these works dissolve the Saint’s historical fixity, allowing him to inhabit the present as a figure both divine and deeply human.This reimagination aligns with the “End of Art” as a moment of liberation. No longer bound by the need to depict St. Francis as a 16th-century actor—complete with robes, relics, and a missionary’s zeal—the artists embrace a creative freedom that speaks to Goa’s contemporary reality. They ask: What does St. Francis mean to us today? How does his legacy ripple through our lives, our art, our faith?
The answers or responses are as varied as the 34 voices in the exhibition, yet they converge in a shared celebration of intimacy and relevance.
For Goans, St. Francis Xavier is more than a Saint; he is Goycho Saib, a protector and a presence etched into the land’s soul. The exhibition, held on his birthday, becomes a testament to this enduring bond.
It is a moment where art ceases to be a mere object of contemplation and becomes a bridge—between past and present, between the sacred and the secular, between the artist and the viewer.
In this way, Goycho Saib Goychea Akaran does not mark the end of art in a literal sense but its evolution into something greater: a space of transformation where St. Francis Xavier lives anew, painted in the hues and shades of Goa’s beating heart
Visitors are invited to walke
through the exhibition, not just spectators but participants in dialogue and see themselves reflected in the works—faith, culture, stories that touch thier lives as Goans.
Here lies the power of this moment: art, at its supposed “end,” becomes a beginning, a celebration of connection that honors St. Francis Xavier not as a figure of the past, but as a companion for all .
