Radhika’s tribute to her life’s work
“The most important thing you need (as an artist) is to have an eye for art,” says Radhika Dias Bandaranaike. “To look at the world and see what others don’t see.”
No matter the training you receive or classes you take, this is something that cannot be taught, she believes. “Anyone can travel the world, but it is you and only you that can make something that everyone perceives, your very own.”
Returning to the arts scene after a lapse of six years, Radhika will present her solo exhibition, “Expression in Water Colour” at the Lionel Wendt Gallery on October 22 and 23. Due to the difficulties that came about with the pandemic, she was unable to have this exhibition as originally planned two years ago.
In her serene home that encapsulates the essence of her artistic person, Radhika has on her walls, numerous paintings and pieces from her travels around the world. “I draw inspiration from my own photography, she says.
From painting on porcelain to mastering watercolour, Radhika has come a long way since working in her uncle’s court studio in her teenage years. After running a bakery business, she worked at the Lionel Wendt where she met the artist Damian De Silva, a graduate from the London School of Arts who became a friend and learnt under him for one and a half years, thus improving her technique in watercolour.
As the pandemic restricted her activities, Radhika has spent the last few years reading and assisting her niece with the interiors of Colombo’s new community library, Lakmahal, which is owned by her niece.
This exhibition will most probably be her last; a tribute to her life’s work. “I have put together a portfolio that has all my paintings, which will be on display,” she says. Her plan is to gift any paintings which she isn’t able to sell to charity and cancer organizations.
“Expression in Water Colour” by Radhika Dias Bandaranaike will be held at the Lionel Wendt Gallery on October 22 and 23 from 9 a.m to 6 p.m.
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