Before I write anything else, I declare that my knowledge of art is zero or less and that any feelings hurt due to the expression of my opinion here is unintended and deeply regretted. I am only expressing my ignorance  and what is written has nothing to do with the quality of art displayed in the Kala Academy, Panjim - Goa.

My wife had some work in Panaji and I drove her there this morning. It is the year end, a time when people go crazy over Goa for reasons best known to them. To top it Panaji is hosting the 46th IFFI followed by the feast of St Francis Xavier. Needless to say that the city is overflowing. All the roads are jammed and no place even to park your legs. I dropped her on the road in front of the place she intended reaching and drove around Panjim searching for a place to park the car. Found a place two kilometers away from the spot I had dropped my wife - at the Kala Academy, Panaji.  

Other than promoting art and culture the Kala Academy serves the humanity through two very useful ways. It has lot of parking space which is freely available for parking when there are no programmes in the academy and it has very decent toilets. Having parked my car in the parking lot, I walked in. The academy building was being 'done up' to host the forthcoming Film festival. I walked around watching the work going on, used the toilet and was walking towards the canteen  when I came up on some art work in metal which have been installed near the canteen. As mentioned earlier I can’t recognize a piece of art even when it is labeled and placed in front of me. Since these were placed at strategic locations in the Kala Academy building and had a brass plaque in front of them giving the name of the art and the artist I think they are valuable pieces of art. For my untrained eyes they look like random selections from a scrap yard welded together. But the trained eyes in the academy must have chosen them carefully, paid good money and installed them there. Here they are.

This is the first one placed near the entrance to the hall that attracted my attention. According to the plaque it is a 'Dancing girl'. To my eyes it does not look like a girl and if it is one certainly she is not dancing. By stretching whatever imagination I have at my disposal, I may call it a two legged being which has undergone some surgery to set right broken hands and the surgery has gone wrong. 

This is called 'Goat'. I would be happy if someone can explain to me why it is a goat and not a wolf, dog or a deer. I wouldn't suggest a cow because once you call it a cow, you can't dismantle and dispose it off. 

I did not find a plaque before this piece of art. May be I could not make out which was the front and which was the back and was looking for a plaque on the back side. 

I like this. This is called 'Adrift artifact.' Meaning things found adrift in a junk yard (?). I would have made it better by adding 'welded' to the name. A honest piece of art!

There were many  more but since I did not carry my camera and since my mobile phone is just that and not a good camera I did not take more pictures. 

After going through the art exhibition I must have walked in a daze for sometime and when I came to my senses I found myself at the boundary of Kala Academy, looking at this great piece of art. 

 I have a suggestion for the administration of Kala Academy. Sell the pieces as what they are - pieces of scrap, at Rs 20 a kilo.  Use a part of it to paint an arrow with the words “Art - This way” and lead the fluff headed art lovers like me to the boundary of Kala Academy from where we can witness a great art. The art of nature!