You step into a cafe and leave as art enthusiasts
Nishendri Wariyapola
Sitting in the De Mel Building on Chatham Street, Fort, linking an old Colombo landmark with a new attempt to give Sri Lankan artists the space and support they have long needed, is the Radicle gallery. Just as artists across the globe will tell you that it can be difficult to make ends meet, gallery owners will say the same about keeping an art gallery up and running.
Mahesh Alkegama
But what if it didn’t have to be that way?
This is where Radicle comes in. Named after the radicle, the first part of a plant embryo to emerge from a seed during germination, Seed Cafe co-owners Mahesh Alkegama and his wife Nishendri Wariyapola started the Radicle art gallery and cafe in November after starting to collect art themselves a few years ago. Seed Cafe (on Horton Place) had been exhibiting some art but they wanted to open something bigger. When they were contacted about a new property on the market, although initially hesitant, they took a look and decided to take the plunge.
The gallery itself could be called a work of art of sorts. Located at Chatham Street in the De Mel Building where the Pagoda Tea Room, a favourite haunt of Colombo folk of yesteryear once stood, the building’s structure is mostly untouched, but parts of it have been reworked for the gallery’s needs. The basement was completely rebuilt, and the old steel columns – brought down from England during British times – were painted blue. That blue is now used subtly throughout the space. The original glass blocks on the upper wall were kept as they were, and a table with matching glass blocks was added upstairs, keeping the old building visually connected to its new purpose. What used to be the kitchen area is now being turned into a sculpture garden after substantial renovation.
Radicle gallery: Planting the seeds to reviving Fort as an arts area. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The idea behind Radicle is simple: nurture growth. Radicle supports artists through mentorship and practical help, including materials. They don’t limit style, but Mahesh encourages artists to move toward work that also reflects possibilities, not only hardship. They have already worked with students from Jaffna and Batticaloa, including a recent exchange visit with students guided by Prof. T. Sanathanan. Workshops and artist talks are planned as part of building a wider network.
A major part of Radicle’s model is accessibility. They take a 25% commission, charge no additional fees, and offer the basement gallery at reasonable rates. Mahesh wants the world to see the talent here. “We have got such talented artists,” he says, adding that Sri Lanka can compete with larger regional art scenes if artists have support and visibility.
Mandira Ranathunga, who teaches at the University of Visual and Performing Arts, partners with Radicle to support students. She has seen firsthand how much art students, especially from rural areas, struggle with resources, and Radicle’s model helps bridge that gap.
Radicle has thus the favourable symbiosis of cafe and art gallery. Because running a standalone gallery in Sri Lanka’s economy is extremely difficult, Radicle depends partly on revenue from Mahesh and Nishendri’s cafés – The Grind and Seed as well as revenue from the cafe at Radicle. This helps the gallery operate without pushing costs onto artists.
Nishendri, who studied in the UK, returned to Sri Lanka and first started The Grind because she missed good coffee. Their stable café businesses gave them the breathing room to create Radicle the way they wanted, and in fact they spent a year converting the building into Radicle. “There are many creative people who don’t have a platform and haven’t been recognised,” she says. Her aim is straightforward: she wants the gallery to help change that.
“People come to the café and they leave as art enthusiasts,” Mahesh says. He also hopes to revive Fort’s old reputation as an arts area, noting that several galleries once existed here before they disappeared.
The gallery: A work of art in itself
| Exhibitions on view | |
| In its first few months, Radicle has already wrapped up a very successful art exhibition by Priyantha Udagedara and has just opened its newest exhibition with a group of prominent artists including Anoma Wijewardene, Anoli Perera, Pala Pothupitiya, Kingsley Gunatillake, Gayan Prageeth and Chathurika Jayani. Looking to host many more exhibitions in 2026, the owners also hope that their unique basement space can be used for discussions and other events too.
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