The sidewalks of Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha in Colombo 7, opposite the National Art Gallery, will come alive on Sunday, February 21 as Sri Lanka’s popular open-air art gallery cum art fair ‘Kala Pola’ explodes into a riot of colour.
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| A scene from last year’s Kala Pola |
Presented by the George Keyt Foundation, “Kala Pola” has continued to enjoy the patronage of the John Keells Group for 16 consecutive years. Launched in 1993, Kala Pola drew inspiration from the open air summer art fairs in European capitals such as the legendary Montmartre in Paris. The deep rooted rationale for its existence goes beyond the mere search for fascinating colour, exuberance and camaraderie.
This year’s Kala Pola will feature over 250 artists and sculptors who will showcase their creativity to a rapidly growing Sri Lankan and expatriate clientele, in an atmosphere filled with music, song, fun and contagious bonhomie.
Kala Pola that kicks off at 10.a.m will unfold through the changing light of the day, until dusk finally settles over the city skyline.
Kala Pola is a key platform for artists and sculptors to launch and boost their careers. Not only does it help them build a steady clientele, but also promotes art as a lucrative and professional career. Many Kala Pola artists have been successful and have gone onto launch careers in the international arena.
President of the George Keyt Foundation, Cedric de Silva said, “We’re proud to note that Kala Pola which had a humble beginning more than one and a half decades ago, has now grown into a major national event.
Each year it attracts hundreds of artists and sculptors from all parts of the country and affords them the rare opportunity of displaying their work to a large number of buyers. This is, undoubtedly a boon to these highly talented, yet simple men and women, some of whom may not be able to exhibit in Colombo’s established art galleries.” |
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