Different thoughts, different strokes, different messages from different countries unite in a world of art

Colours of the world

By Nilika de Silva

Their desire to communicate might be born of different thought sources and their vehicles and destinations worlds apart, but the will to create is within each of them. 

"My purpose is to irritate," says Dietmar Schmale from Germany, describing his work as being on the "borderline of art", while Nisar Hossein from Bangladesh stresses "I want to create some language which is effective in showing the contradiction between good and bad." The International Art Camp 2000 organised by the George Keyt Foundation is taking place from October 2 - 12, and is the fourth camp of its kind. The main sponsors are NORAD and John Keells Holdings. 

Each year the art camps have been held close to heritage sites, Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa, so as to allow the foreign artists to be exposed to the artistic wonders found in these locations. An artist who participated at the very first camp held at the Culture Club, Anjana Wijeratne (26) spoke to The Sunday Times on the eve of their departure to Habarana.

Anjana who is from Beruwela, explained that being born into a family, where his grandfather and father were into sculpture and art, had been a main factor which drew him towards art. 

Anjana who studied at the Bentara Elakaka Maha Vidyalaya has been painting since the age of six. Having followed an Art Course at the Art Gallery, Anjana went on to study under Winnie Hettigoda.

A full-time artist, Anjana does a lot of temple paintings. The Beruwela Temple Paintings are evidence of the capabilities of Anjana who has apart from painting in temples, been commissioned to do murals, sculptures and other works of art at hotels. 

From the subcontinent too is Nisar Hossein (39) from Bangladesh. Nisar who teaches at the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University did his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1981, and then went on to Shantiniketan where he studied for the Master of Fine Arts under renowned artist K.G. Subramaniam.

"Now I concentrate on pictorial language," says Nisar who says he was very much influenced by the German Expressionists. "But my favourite artist is Picasso," he adds. Deeply moved by the 1971 killings in his country during the freedom struggle against Pakistani rule, Nisar is strongly against violence against humanity and says, "I am trying to create my own language." 

Sixteen of the artists at the International Camp 2000 are from various corners of Sri Lanka while 10 are from abroad, from such diverse parts of the world as USA, Bangladesh, Germany, Pakistan, the Netherlands, India and Norway. Their creations will be on exhibition at the National Art Gallery on October 18,19 and 20. 

Sharing their vision

By Laila Nasry and Ruhanie Perera

The winner of the 'Rajya Murthi' award, Chamari Thapaswarage's paintings depict a woman's quest for emancipation. As a woman she feels strongly about the stereotypes women are cast into, as mothers, housewives. In today's social context Chamari feels women are not afforded the opportunity to be themselves. Their individuality is suppressed and with it their life. In her paintings the woman is always reaching out, struggling to free herself. She thus draws women colourfully to show that they are vibrant individuals suppressed in a male-dominated world. 

The mixing of light and dark in her paintings is symbolic of the struggle. Her paintings are titled "Dying Woman" suggesting that women are only in the process of losing their individuality and her art is a stimulant striving to evoke counter emotions suggesting it need not always be that way. It's almost as if the battle is not lost and all's not in vain. 

Passionate Frenchman Alain Padeau is an artist driven by his obsession to understand man's connection with the human skin. To him, the human skin is the very basis of creation, the clothing of humankind and yet in his world he sees it work as a force of destruction. Destruction because it becomes the root of most evils we face in the world today. "Everything revolves around whether a person is black, white or yellow - it's a complex problem you don't just find in art. It's ingrained in human relationships, in our political systems, even in our attitudes," observes Padeau.

Stemming from the art of finger painting, (almost everyone identifies with childhood art lessons), Padeau's technique is such that the imprint of the human form is obtained onto a pure white cloth. He then burns the imprint so that what is left is the charred image of the human form on the cloth. Primitive, though the technique and picture itself may seem, the work of art in itself is not simple. The potent, almost burning idea that inspires it, gives it life. 

Sarath Samaraweera grapples with a powerful emotion, that of love. In his unconventional portrayals titled "kuda yata jeevite" (life under an umbrella) he brings to life an everyday situation of youthful lovers under umbrellas in parks and at the beach. He sees the umbrella as an important symbol, not just a shield against the rain and sun but importantly against the prying and cynical eyes of the outside world. The umbrella is his canvas on which he portrays their world. A world where there is little room for free expression of their emotions. "People whistle, jeer and laugh at the umbrella lovers, the police come and chase them away-why?" he questions. For these artists the canvas is a platform from where they voice their thoughts and ideals. They see a better future and their art is a constant questioning of the present. 
Coming together to create

The Artlink project encourages ties between artists around the world, bringing them together for a short time but establishing long lasting links between them. Artlink, conducted for the fourth consecutive year this year, is an annual residential workshop organised by the Alliance Francaise, the British Council, the Goethe Institute and the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts. The workshop, which was on from September 25 to October 4, is one that brought together 12 local artists and seven international artists encouraging an exchange of knowledge, talent and skills.

Chamari Thapaswarage, Muditha Askin, Mandalika Manjusri, Dhanushka Amarasekare, Chandana Wasantha, Anura Krishantha, Bandu Manamperi, Sarath Samaraweera, Tissa de Alwis, Kushan Manjusri and T.P.G. Amarajeewa, were the local artists who attended the workshop while the foreign artists were Michael Shaowanasai, Alma Tischler, Shelagh Wakely, Skall, Daniel Andreallo, Alain Padeau, Franz Ehmann and Rashid Rana. 

This year's theme was 'context'. The workshop concluded, the fruits of the artists' labour will be exhibited at the Barefoot Gallery from October 14 - 25. 

Return to Plus Contents