Sunday Times 2
Worth a thousand words
The America Sri Lankan Photographic Art Society (ASPAS), an affiliate of the Photographic Society of America, in association with the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles, held a photographic exhibition titled ‘The Beauty of Sri Lanka’, at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). It drew a large number of visitors.
Some of the exhibits at 'The Beauty of Sri Lanka' show. At the Opening of the Exhibit, L to R: ASPAS President Suriya Perera, Dr. Nandi Jasentuliyana, Sri Lanka Consul General Swarna Gunaratna and Sri Lanka Foundation U.S.A. Founder President Dr. Walter Jayasinghe
The exhibition was designed to depict the beauty of the rich fauna and flora of Sri Lanka, and the serenity of the jungle life highlighted by the national parks of the country, which is home for more than 400 species of birds, leopards, elephants, deer, and the prolific marine life such as whales, turtles and colourful coral reefs.
Sri Lanka’s ancient cities with architectural gems that are part of the 2500-year-old cultural and religious heritage of the nation that blend with the tropical fauna and flora of the Island nation were also an integral part of the exhibition. “Beauty of Sri Lanka” a collection of nearly 100 photographs certainly made jaws drop, eyes open wide, from the grandeur of the gems of archaeological ruins of ancient Sri Lanka to elephants marching in perfect symmetry across the national parks watched by the majestic leopards lounging on tree tops, so exquisitely composed they belong truly on the top rung of photography.
They raised the bar with nature photography and made it more artistic. The photographers clearly were not attempting to just document nature but to help preserve it, too. The exhibit carried with it an environmental message as well, that these creatures and these places are beyond special.
You could have breezed through the exhibit just revelling in the images, but when confronted with the most iconic shots, photographers spend hours and even days waiting in a field for the perfect moment, one begins to think and appreciate the purpose and effort of the photographers to capture that image. You begin to value what the photographer had to endure to wait for the moment when the leopard would peep for a fleeting moment from the cave where he spent the night. One of the exhibitors, Rohitha, spent one entire night watching a leopard at the Yala National Park, to capture that amazing moment as explained by Suriya Jayalath Perera, President of the ASPAS who organised the event.
Suriya Perera, an award-winning nature photographer, who has demonstrated sensitivity to the animal life that surrounds the pristine environs, had on display several amazing photographs captured through his expert lens under similar circumstances.
While the serenity of the jungle and National Parks of Sri Lanka was well displayed, the majesty of the rich historical culture of the country etched in the ruins of ancient cities that are surrounded by the magnificent fauna and flora was masterfully portrayed in the work of the accomplished artists participating in the exhibition. The exquisite photos of the ‘Lovers of Isurumuniya’ or the ‘Sandakadapahana’ captured by Yamuni Perera spoke volumes of the skill of the ancient artists of Sri Lanka who created them several centuries ago. The face of a ‘Veddha’ Chieftain captured by her related the entire lifestyle of the Neolithic man from whom he descended and now assimilated to the rest of the modern nation of Sri Lankans that claim the same ancestry.
Rohitha Gunawardane, the official photographer of the Department of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka, and Yamuni Rashmika Perera, photojournalist of the Department of Government Information in Sri Lanka, are among the six award-winning photographers whose outstanding photography was displayed at the exhibition. The nature photography as represented by landscapes of the green hills, valleys, streams, waterfalls, colourful fauna and flora captured in the brilliant photography of the other expert photographers Dr. Vickum Senanayake, K.G. Keerthirathna, Ranjini Perera and Kumara Karunarathne, made the exhibit a very special one. They are all members of the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka (NPAS) and award winners from the British and French Academy of Photographers and were in Los Angeles courtesy of the American Embassy in Colombo. They were joined by four outstanding Sri Lankan photographers from Los Angeles, Andy Samarasena, Sumedha Jayasena, Moran Perera and Suriya Perera to display the magic of photography.
This exhibition also contributed to the knowledge of the history of photography by showing how photography in the past has evolved and contributed to what we can do today. It showed how you can tell stories through photos and how a leopard’s pose or the facial expression of a Veddha chieftain could add to a photo and give a meaning and allow you to interpret things in the way you see them.
Each photo has its own story. Viewed together, the images reveal a natural world that’s both beautiful and at risk from human actions. Their creativity, originality and technical excellence reflect the expansive and diverse beauty of Sri Lanka and its rich heritage.
Agatha Anna Bunanta, Vice President of the Photographic Society of America (PSA), complemented the organisers for their efforts in staging an admirable exhibition. Judging from the comments of a selected few, the exhibition seems to have gone beyond the visual to create an interest in experiencing first-hand the island that was seen as an enchanting place to visit. Visitors were heard to comment that they were not aware of such a locale and others expressed a desire to visit Sri Lanka. Such comments seem to justify the primary aim, particularly of the Consulate General in organising the exhibition to promote tourism.
The exhibition was ceremoniously opened on September 21 by Swarna Gunaratna, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles and Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, Founder President of the Sri Lanka Foundation U.S.A.