Making her mark in digital art
It was only last year that abstract artist Sumali Piyatissa, an accountant by profession gave up her career in the corporate sector to take up art professionally, a decision which she had been contemplating for years. Leaving the stable world of finance may have been a big leap but one that has been amply justified as she was recently chosen for an online exhibition with NFTs in New York – the only Sri Lankan artist on the list.
Fluid lines: Sumali’s work and her digital creation chosen for the New York exhibition
Non-Fungible Tokens—better known as NFTs— for those of us unfamiliar with the term, are digital artworks which are typically bought and sold completely online using cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. Sumali confesses that she herself is still learning more about NFTs that have taken the world of digital art and modern art by storm.
“I was given an opportunity by a gallery that I work with in Singapore who connected me with a curator in New York. Then I was able to apply for the exhibition and was beyond words to find out that my work was selected,” Sumali said.
The exhibition at NowHere Gallery in New York, titled, “Women of the World” was a satellite event celebrating women artists working on NFTs from around the world, presented by Infinite Objects in collaboration with Starbahn in Singapore. “NFTs were something I wanted to get into for a while and this opportunity was really great. It was truly a wonderful experience and to be the only Sri Lankan artist selected was amazing,” Sumali says.
Sumali has also shown her work at art fairs and exhibitions in London, Madrid, Austria, Paris and Switzerland. One of her paintings was selected for the COP26 climate change online exhibition held last year, by Occhi Arts & Entertainment.
As an artist, she says her biggest challenge is questioning her own work and facing criticism. “You need to believe in yourself and value what you do, and you need to know what criticism to take in to improve yourself and what to leave out,” she says.
At first art was a hobby and she sold her work occasionally. It was in 2015 that she had her first solo exhibition “Genèse” (the beginning),” she says, adding that her style then and now is very different. “I have truly evolved as an artist and it has been an amazing journey for me.”
Always intrigued by colours and textures Sumali learned the basics of oil painting when she was very young. As someone who loves experimenting, she is inspired by travel and the countries and cities she visits, as well as nature, other artists and new styles of painting. Visits to Australia and the US led her to fluid abstract painting.
Working on complex topics such as climate change, she has a seascape series ongoing. Deeply influenced by her faith and the Scriptures, she said she sometimes gains ideas during church services, leading her to rush to pick up her paints and brushes.
Most of Sumali’s works are custom orders and she works on different styles and themes depending on her client’s requirements. Clients contact her through online galleries, her Instagram page (bukicreations) and her website https://www.bukiarts.com/.
She signs her work as Buki, as it was her late father’s nickname for her when she was a little girl. It was he who always wanted her to be an artist and encouraged her to take up art, she says.
She also takes custom orders for resin art through her second Instagram page (bukicreatives). She learned this technique while on holiday in Melbourne a few years ago and began making coasters, cheese boards, trays, stools, tables and other items.
Currently working with a few interior designers on some apartments, Sumali hopes to hold a solo exhibition by the end of this year.
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