Kala Pola: Where artists have flourished over the years
By Kaveesha Fernando
Kala Pola, the much awaited annual open air art fair, will be held next Sunday, January 22, for the 24th time. An opportunity for Sri Lankan artists to exhibit their art to a wide audience, the event is organised by the George Keyt Foundation and John Keells Holdings PLC who announced at a news conference last week that it would be on a much bigger scale this year.
George Keyt Foundation chairman Cedric de Silva said the event has grown over the years, producing better results every year. With over 300 artists exhibiting their work this year, the Foundation’s deputy chairman Nihal Rodrigo noted that the event has grown ten times larger than it was at its inception. “When we started in 1993 there were only 35 artists,” he said.
John Keell’s, CSR head, Nadija Thambiah said the event has become a meeting point for artists. “Kala Pola has become a place for artists to blossom and for people to meet and share ideas and have discussions about art,” she said, adding that art teachers from as far away as Tissamaharama have brought their students to the fair. She is also happy to see people who started out by exhibiting their work at Kala Pola becoming full time artists, noting that the event has even started attracting foreign art collectors. Last year, sales amounted to over Rs. 13 million at Kala Pola, a number that excludes the amount of art which moves after the event, she noted.
The artists themselves agree that Kala Pola has helped them sell their art and grow as artists. Amaresh Pereira, an artist from Kandy who has been a part of Kala Pola for years feels that Kala Pola has helped him in his career. “If not for Kala Pola, I wouldn’t be the artist that I am today,” he said. He also said that artists have a pre-conceived notion that other artists are conspiring against them – an idea which is dispelled at Kala Pola where they meet and form connections.
Renuka Dias who has been a part of Kala Pola since its inception feels that this is a rare opportunity for artists to exhibit their work for the whole of Sri Lanka to see, crediting Kala Pola for helping artists have their efforts recognised and appreciated.
“Api kalema pippila kalema para nowenna mema uthsawaya udaw karanawa (this festival helps us become more than flowers which bloom in the forest and die there)”, she said.
Kala Pola will start at 8 a.m. on Sunday, January 22 and will continue throughout the day at Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 7 (Green Path). Australian High Commissioner Bryce Hutchesson, will be the Chief Guest at the official ceremony at 5 p.m. where Lankan artists such as the Musicmatters Collective will perform.