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Arts

Transported to a different plane by the flow of words and pictures
Reviewed by Frances Bulathsinghala
The Seen and the Unseen was the title of the 'poem into art' exhibition held last week at the BMICH to coincide with the SAARC book fair. The exhibition displayed the unique contours of art in two simultaneous forms (poetry and painting) for both the mind and the senses to grasp. It was made more unique by the poetry being presented in both Sinhala and English.

The works exhibited were of two veteran poets, Ariyawansa Ranaweera, and Nandana Weerasinghe translated by Tilaka Dharmapriya. The transformation of poetry into painting was by well-known artist Karunasiri Wijesinghe, staff member of the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts and external lecturer of the Sri Palee campus of the Colombo University.

The good news for anyone who may have missed the exhibition is that the poetry along with the paintings has been compiled in a book, available at the Sarasaviya bookshop.

The generosity, and unfathomable vicissitudes of nature are captured in this aesthetic journey. The poetry, which has not lost both artistic and political sensitivity in the translation into English, is mostly (especially in the poetry of Ariyawanse Ranaweera) concise and one is reminded of Japanese haiku.

An example is the poem titled the ‘Collapse of Socialism’:
The sinking red run
The weeping ocean
The peeping
Darkness
This particular poem describes a painting which shows a fiery sunset (done with acrylic on canvas) captured in brown tinges and a dark red falling against a black- blue sea presented in thick traces of sapphire blue. It's both landscape and much more. The political under layer of most of the poetry grips the reader instantly.

This is typical of the style of Ranaweera who in the vernacular version of the poem usually uses one-word lines. The effect is of a thunderbolt descending on one’s head, which in this instant does nothing more disastrous than, awake us from the slumber of a staid existence and transport us (at least temporarily) to a place beyond the periphery.

It is the economy of words that one feels drawn to in Ranaweera's poetry and the fact that his poems complement the paintings enhancing its light and shade further.

Charged with a philosophy that has not been visible in most modern Sri Lankan poetry (in English), a unique aspect of this collection of work is that a lot is said about things, which one tends to ignore in this everyday existence in a few words. The poem titled A tiny leaf by Nandana Weerasinghe is an example of this:

Despite the retinue
Of tall stout trees
Fed and nourished
By the big
Mountain tree
A dwarfish little tree
That rises on its top
Adds to the height
Of the mountain
In the collection as a whole, nothing has escaped the artist - and nothing in the art has escaped the poet - the expanse of ocean, the concealed mystery of the everyday mist and the arduous peak of the mountain - where both the rugged and the ethereal is brought out.

Three in jazz combo
Jazz is the password for September 26 at the Colombo Plaza, as AZUL, the German trio hits the boards with a show at 7 p.m. The famous act comprising bassist Carlos Bica, guitarist Frank Möbus and drummer Jim Black promise a new experience to Sri Lanka.

AZUL is regarded as 'transitory' performers of the times, famous for adopting new trends. Vibes from Look What They've Done To My Song, the latest album featuring Carlos Bica and AZUL is tipped to be a pick for the night. Composer and double bassist Bica has been a playmaker in many jazz festivals from Europe to Asia.Jim Black moved into Brooklyn in 1991 and the rest is history; since then, he has been drumming to be one of the most popular and sought after musicians in the game today. Bica and Black are joined by Frank Möbus, who is most familiar to German and Portuguese circuits. The combination is of three different but equally passionate artistes ready to set the night on fire.

Rice canvas of life and labour
By S.R. Pathiravithana
Throughout history, civilizations, empires and cultures were born around the little grain of rice. So it was natural for Sri Lankan-born artist Jaya Malaviarachchi to be intrigued by the power of this little grain and devote her expressions of art to it.

Jaya Malaviarachchi was born in Sri Lanka and brought up in a local background before leaving for England in 1978. Although she lives overseas her interest in Sri Lankan music has remained while much of her art too depicts the Lankan influence in her life.

Her childhood in Sri Lanka was theatrical. She was inspired by the colourful festivals and rituals accompanied by the chanting and drum beats. Folk dancers with multi-coloured masks always kept her spellbound. The Sri Lankan beaches and the lush green flora were a part of her life.

In 1983, Jaya moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia where she studied life drawing and painting at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. In 1999 she joined St. Lawrence College in Brockville, Ontario studying under renowned Brockville artist Andrea Green. Andrea's profound inspiration helped Jaya to find her own form of expression rather than following tradition.

Her recent collection depicts women labourers toiling to feed a hungry world. Jaya has used burlap rice bags as her canvas having collected them for over four years. Jaya's pieces have been displayed throughout eastern Ontario. The Kingston Arts Council, Ottawa, Watercolour Society and Thousand Island Playhouse Gallery have selected her art for juried exhibitions.

In Canada Jaya has earned a name. Commenting on one of her exhibitions Rosanne Van Vierzen wrote to The Reporter -"Jaya Malaviarachchi's art is like nothing that adorned the walls of the Gallery at the Playhouse". Jaya said her work brings forth the memories of golden fields, and women bending down in muddy fields, working.

Ronald Zajak writing to the Brockville Recorder and Times commented on Jaya's work "for most people, a rice bag is what you throw away after pouring its contents into the pot on the stove. Not so for Brockville artist Jaya Malavirachchi, one of the 25 St. Lawrence College art students whose work makes up the third edition of Brave Art, a provocative exhibit running at the Brockville Arts Centre lobby.”

The creations depict women working in the rice fields, either bending to plant the world's most important staple food, or standing upright and carrying a baby. It evokes a feeling of muddy toil. It came as a surprise to Malavirachchi, as she researched the subject to learn that the United Nations has designated 2004 as the 'International year of Rice'.

Regarding her work Jaya said "I have used humble burlap rice bags as the canvas for my most recent work for several reasons. Firstly, I find the procedure required to prepare the burlap as a canvas to be a meditative process. For me, it involves undoing someone else's stitching,then re-arranging the pieces to depict terraced paddy fields. A new life and form is given to an otherwise discarded item. Secondly, the textured surface of the rice bag allows me to create a dialogue with the burlap while I paint. And finally, I feel compelled to portray the labour and effort that goes into feeding a hungry world."

She also added, "In developing countries the majority of this work is done by women who often struggle to make ends meet. The rice bag is a fitting canvas as it originates from where women labour occurs. Unfairness and struggling in the world inspire me to paint. Through art, I attempt to promote awareness on the issues that are often dismissed or go without any recognition." Jaya Malavirachchi is hoping to have an exhibition in Sri Lanka very soon.

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