Sittarunge Paradeesaya Art Exhibition this week

The maiden art exhibition of the Sittarunge Paradeesaya Group will be held at the J.D.A. Perera Art Gallery on July 29 and 30.

The Sittarunge Paradeesaya Group includes artists from all over Sri Lanka who have been associated with the Facebook Art Group, ‘Sittarunge Paradeesaya’. This is the first art exhibition organized by the membership of a Facebook Art Group in Sri Lanka.

This exhibition features 175 paintings such as portraits, figures, still-life works, landscapes and abstract art, by 34 of the artists in the group, using a wide variety of mediums, techniques, themes and colour schemes. Selections for the exhibition followed an open invitation to these artists to send in their work.

The artists range in their age and experience, with some having had individual as well as group exhibitions, while others will be exhibiting their work for the first time.

The Sittarunge Paradeesaya FB Art Group was launched in August 2014 with a membership of 76 which has grown to nearly 32,000, with the aim of providing a space for talented Sri Lankans to display their work. It also includes a number of foreign artists. A basic guideline is that anyone can put up their work without fear of being subjected to embarrassing comments.

The panel of administrators diligently maintains quality within the group.

Meanwhile, this FB group also conducts free workshops and hopes to create more awareness and appreciation while encouraging more people to take up art as a vocation, pastime or part-time occupation.