to the genius of mario miranda and the unique murals of daunting polymathic scholar jose pereira and how well each of these artists knew the other it would seem impossible to deny the obvious but that is precisely what has happened over the past decades with even local institutions supposedly dedicated to art in goa parroting denials that goan art exists in the first place physical colonization went away more than 50 years ago mental colonization flourishes intact in the end it will not take much to clear the cobwebs for more than six months last year a huge mix of artists from across disciplines gathered weekly at the invitation of the department of art and culture in sessions hosted and conceived by senior artist and charismatic teacher apurva kulkarni note this writer was also involved they eventually viewed and discussed the work of more than 110 painters photographers sculptors performance and installation artists musicians poets and writers practicing in the state here it became clear the best chapters in the history of goas art could yet be waiting to be written this is precisely why the old secretariats future is so important even before fitted for the lavish technology now featured throughout the renovated galleries opened for three days in 2011 for a golden jubilee workshop with speakers like tasneem zakaria mehta and sudarshan shetty the artists and art teachers of the state as well as distinguished visitors soon became charged with excitement as they realized the transformative impact this building can have on art in goa and the rest of the country too it is essential that promise is not squandered cheaplythe writers is a wellpublished photographer and author