Arts
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According to him his Sigiriya frescos drawn on canvas have a bigger demand from foreigners. "This one here was sold for Rs. 10,000, this very morning" says his friend pointing at a large painting done on canvas with acrylics. Having come to participate in this annual exhibition for the second time the trio revealed that it has opened doors for many other opportunities. "We have been asked to do paintings for many newly-built temples," says Savintha. Ms. V. Pradeepan from Dehiwala sits with her husband by her works of art hoping to go home with all of them sold. She says that she wants to sell the paintings before she leaves the country in the near future. "I have never taken part in any art exhibition, but this time, I wanted to see how far my work would be appreciated," she smiles. H.D. Edward, a retired gentleman was chatting with a client interested in buying one of his creations. He stood out from the rest of the artists as his were not paintings done with canvas and paint but 3D paper artworks. Happy at having sold two of his works within four hours since the opening of the Kala Pola, he spoke of the time and patience it took him to complete them. Prasanna Bandara from Kandy has taken part in Kala Pola for the past three years and says he was happy to have made it this year too, although it would have been a hassle for him to bring his collection of nearly 60 drawings of different sizes, all the way to Colombo. Mahinda Bandara from Kurunegala is perhaps qualified to give an overall assessment of the Kala Pola as he has taken part in it for five years. "Last year, there were only 300 artists and this year there are about 500," he says adding that more space was required now. But he also lamented that the Kala Pola had now attracted the middle man who stands in between the client and the artist arranging deals. They say 'age is just a number' and 11-year-old Thilina Rukshan Perera of Grade 7, Isipathana College, Colombo sits by his five remaining drawings out of the 15 he had brought, the rest having been sold even before 10 a.m. Thilina, says he is planning to hold a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery on World Children's Day, for which he is trying to collect some money by selling his work. "I hope to come for next year's Kala Pola too," he says. And if we need proof that Kala Polais indeed a profitable event for the artist, we need look no further than Anura Srinath who sold his large canvas of a railway track for Rs. 40,000. Muhanned
Cader says his art tries to show that life is good but doesn't always
make sense "My drawings will have to speak for themselves but I can't say there is a message in them. To me my paintings are like a little diary and I guess what I want to say is that life is good and that things do not necessarily make sense. These are just humorous drawings," is his comment on his work. Since then he has been living and working in Colombo. "It might have been wiser, for my art, to stay in the US, after all Sri Lanka is a small island and sometimes I feel trapped here. But this is where I grew up and I like it here,” he says. Since his return Muhanned Cader has had a number of solo exhibitions including one in Lahore, Pakistan. He has also contributed to several group exhibitions in Sri Lanka, the United States and India. Last year he received the Bunka Cultural Awardfrom the Japan Sri Lanka Friendship Cultural Fund for his visual art. Cader paints, draws and sculpts. His previous exhibition, 'Birth of Uncool' was at the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts where he has been working as an instructor in drawing and painting for several years. 'Birth of Uncool' is a collection of prints that make fun of the abbreviation UN, the United Nations. Although the Sri Lankan art scene is still growing he is positive about its future. "Life is hard for art itself but it has developed in the past 10 years and it's getting better." "Art is very important in a society like ours where political problems are a part of everyday life. I work with shapes and imaginary things and people tell me it's abstract. To me politics is abstract." Muhanned Cader's' art is modern but the artist doesn't want to be placed in any particular tradition: "I mix all traditions and I feel free to do my own thing. Sometimes I think of myself as an outsider but I don't really mind." He doesn't care much about what the audience or critics have to say about his art but is he satisfied with his drawings? "They're ok…I guess some people get it and some don't. Everybody is welcome to come and see my work. Those who know me will understand." This exhibition will be on at the Paradise Road Gallery Colombo until Feb. 20.
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Savintha
Karunanayake and his three friends had come all the way from Polonnaruwa
to take part in the Kala Pola. "We arrived in Colombo by train
last night and we are going back this evening," said Savintha,
proudly standing with his painting depicting the Sigiriya frescoes
and famous drawings from temples of the ancient city, which happened
to be their home town. "No one taught us how to draw, but the
original works themselves are our teachers," he explained.
Thirty-
three surreal pencil and charcoal drawings will be exhibited at
Paradise Road Gallery Cafe from this week on. Artist Muhanned Cader's
wish is that they'll make you laugh. One is a drawing of an ear
with a mobile phone attached to it. The artist uses sarcasm and
humour as a way of expression.
Born
in Colombo in 1966, Cader moved to the United States when he received
an international student scholarship to train at the Kendall College
of Art and Design in Michigan. He finished his degree in fine arts
in Chicago and this is where his first solo exhibition was held
in 1994.
