The world through the eyes of Mario Miranda

Whenever we feel nostalgic about Goa and its people, we picture the imagery by one of the finest artists in the country, Mario de Miranda (1926–2011). His cartoons and visual chronicles of everyday life not only made us smile, but also helped us understand what Goa is all about. During his lifetime, he captured the spirit of bustling city streets, village lanes, and social scenes with wit, warmth, and intricate detail — not only of Goa, but also of different parts of the world and their communities.

Currently, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts in Altinho, Panjim, is marking the birth centenary of Mario Miranda by hosting the exhibition, ‘Growing Up in Mário’s World’.

Showcasing 100-odd works, the exhibition consists of early sketches and illustrations created during Miranda’s time in Europe in the 1950s, as well as iconic magazine illustrations from the 1960s and 1970s for The Illustrated Weekly of India, Femina, and Filmfare.

The works on display are drawn from the private collection of Shaun Nicholas Lobo, which were collected over the years by his father, Ronnie Lobo. Miranda and Lobo were friends for years, and thus this collection spans over several decades.

Shaun describes this exhibition (which is being held for the first time) as a tribute shaped by a deep admiration for the artist’s humanity, observation, and enduring relevance. He adds, “Mario Miranda had the rare gift of addressing difficult topics while still leaving a smile on the viewer’s face.”

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

This well-curated exhibition has a wide collection of cartoons and illustrations which were published in magazines, along with some rare illustrations like the series ‘Love Scenes in Films from Land to Land’, which he created for Filmfare. It showcases love scenes from 21 different countries while using a popular personality or theme from each place. This work is quite different from Mario’s other works. The curatorial note states, “The drawings reflect how nations are often reduced to familiar images and stories. The series equally draws from popular culture and world events, where love becomes a device for thinking about identity, conflict, fantasy, and misunderstanding across borders.”

Also on display is a rich selection of archival material, including published pages, personal letters to family, friends, and patrons, and other printed ephemera. Together, these trace a shift from intimate, personal narratives to depictions of the pre-liberalisation consumer culture in India, while highlighting recurring themes in Miranda’s work — Goan village life, Bombay’s bustling chawls, and everyday urban social spaces. His enduring engagement with Goa remains a constant throughout — which is best seen in his drawings for the book Inside Goa by Manohar Malgonkar, some of which are also displayed at the exhibition.

(L to R): Raul de Miranda (Mario Miranda's son), Dattaraj Salgaocar (Chairman, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, Panjim), Leandre (Curator & Creative Director, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts) and Shaun Lobo (collector and custodian of works in the exhibition)

The exhibition, which was inaugurated on 8 May, also saw the launch of the book Growing Up with Mario, which is an anthology of essays accompanying the exhibition, edited by Shaun Nicholas Lobo. The publication was released by Raul de Miranda, Fatima Miranda Figueiredo, Luisa Britto, Dattaraj and Dipti Salgaocar, Libia Lobo Sardesai, and Leandre D’Souza.

The exhibition, ‘Growing Up in Mário’s World’ will remain open to the public till 28 June 2026 (10 am to 6.30 pm) at Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, Altinho, Panjim

Arti Das is a Goa-based freelance journalist who enjoys writing about art, culture and ecology