Soul and the city
One Won, reviewed by Daleena Samara
If you want to see the soul of a city, turn to its artists. One Won, the art arm of the Celebrate Colombo festival opened on August 6 at the Stables with dreams of integration, a rallying cry for oneness as a winning formula from 40 contemporary visual artists. It was also an unprecedented showing of diverse, era-defining artworks from across the country and a fitting immersion of art into Colombo’s celebrated Fashion Week. The group included leading names as well as new talent. Crossing gender and ethnic lines and a diversity of styles, it drew from past, present and dreams of the future in a voice made powerful by its collectivity.
Some artists responded to the theme by engaging with the past, bringing to notice significant events that have changed the course of history in the country. Performance artist Godwin Constantine’s ? Hope explored the impact of history on national identity in an arrangement of texts of historical events and the national flag. The texts are singed, as though a reader stubbed a burning cigarette on them, and placed above the flag crumbled at the bottom. Peace doves stamped throughout the word-filled ‘sky’ and a horizon line of motifs make this a powerful dystopian mindscape. Sculptor and
installation artist Kingsley Gunetilake’s We Focus, an installation of a stack of books blackened by fire echoed the burning of the Jaffna Public Library in 1981. A legacy of the nation was lost and remembering is a key to a united future.
Social boundaries that rift societies were highlighted. Print artist Buddhika Nakandala’s aesthetically-pleasing sephia-toned prints of garments entangled with foliage carries a subtle message of class barriers. The exhibit is titled The Black History, black being but a metaphor for the stranglehold that the shadowy world of power has on lasting peace. Hierarchical boundaries divide society so much so that even a brassiere is a status symbol. Airing underwear was taken up by video and film artist Danushka Marasinghe in a striking work of a set of archival prints using negatives entitled Postcards from Ceylon Series; No-14, Borelesgamuwa, A typical rural scene, Colombo, Ceylon. The contrast of darkness against the white void of the washing is ominous, and the underwear suggestive of the nakedness imposed by the surveillance culture of today.
Is the dream of oneness mere illusion? Hope is an essential ingredient: Gayan Prageeth’s Pallet of Hope is a striking reminder.Wishes tied up in cloth, a practice of ordinary folk when things go wrong, make up this fascinating series.
The need to break out of the box and think differently is taken up by Lalith Manage’s Miro-like Square out of a Frame. Introspection was another. Versatile veteran Anoma Wijewardene’s The Golden Rule shone the light on the law of reciprocity and the finer aspects of human nature such as empathy and altruism. Her print series of footsteps in the sand printed over with thought provoking quotes makes one question one’s own trail through life. Sanjeewa Kumara’s surrealistic Condensation series looks to the future and the role of the mind capable of conjuring fantastical scenarios. As the child on his mother’s lap listens to magical stories, we could ask ourselves what stories are we creating for our children.
There were many more artworks worthy of mention and there is much more to say about each artist but space does not permit. One Won is certainly a winner, the collective voice of 40 artists, asking the powerful question: Where did we come from and where are we going to, for peace?
One Won continues at the Stables, Park Street Mews, till August 13. It is part of Colombo Fashion Week. All artworks are on sale, and part of the proceeds will be donated to the Physiotherapy Unit of the Batticaloa Base Hospital where those injured in the explosion on April 21 continue to receive treatment.