The fellowship of five

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind,”

– PHILIPPIANS 2:2

Today Arts & Culture features a fellowship of five. Five companions on a journey. Five companions who come from very different backgrounds, but who are of one mind, having the same love. They are Kapila Ariyananda, Rasika De Silva, Nihal Senarathna, Sachira Lakshan and Dinesh Perera. Their exhibition was held on June 2nd. The exhibition continued on the 3rd and 4th of June. They are four painters and one sculptor. This is their story. They call themselves the Tamarind Group. The first exhibition was held at the Tamarind Gallery, which was a success. The second exhibition could not happen because of Corona. The exhibition that took place on June 2nd was the third attempt.

They feel the time is right for the art scene to “pick up” after the corona and the economic crisis.“One aspect of Sri Lankan education that has been successful is the Kelaniya Aesthetic Institute which has done sterling work during the last few decades. It has turned out very good artists. One guy is Sachira Lakshan,” said Kapila. Kapila pointed out that everyone in the group is concerned about nature, living in harmony with nature, the balance in nature and humanity itself. So they try to bring this out through the medium of visual art/ self- expression. These painters are so dedicated to their work that they make many sacrifices. They are compelled to paint.

“Art in Sri Lanka is a very tough profession to be in. We have some wonderful talent, but there is no infrastructure in the country to give bursaries or scholarships. In foreign countries, they give grants to artists and they provide them with studios at very low cost or no cost at all. They are given bursaries and living allowances and money to buy material. In Sri Lanka it is very difficult to earn your bread and butter through art. Unfortunately at times unless you get onto the band wagon and become commercial, and have someone to manage you as an agent, it is difficult to sell your work. Every artist in this country has experienced this. A person who is creative may not be good at marketing,” pointed out Kapila.

Nature connection

The five of them all explore themes related to nature. The connection between nature and humanity. They also explore their inner selves. “Artists are people who are primarily affected by sight and color. What we do is, we process what we see internally, then we come up with a statement of what we have experienced. You then come out with something that is unique to yourself. It is a journey. You start to explore so many themes. You then discover your unique identity. You may be commercially successful or not. If you are commercially successful, then that is good. But there are artists who during their lifetimes were not commercially successful at all. Later on their paintings were sold for millions of dollars. They died in abject poverty. They were compelled to put on canvas what they felt,” explained Kapila.

Dinesh pointed out that he sees a certain stagnation in art. He points out that there are some really talented artists in Sri Lanka. But they are not given opportunities. They are not recognized. The art lovers in Sri Lanka are only concerned with artists who have already made a name for themselves, who have lived so many years ago. These are senior artists. “I think that society needs to move forwards, appreciating new blood. Society right now are in favor of a socially elite class of artists, artists who have already established themselves. If you take our group of artists, we mainly draw under the theme of nature and living in harmony with nature. When looking at a painting, the viewer needs to feel something and connect with the painting. All five of us have a unique way of drawing. Our own unique style,” explained Dinesh.

Dinesh feels that this glass ceiling needs to be broken for art to really progress and grow in our society. The future generations need to break this barrier. All five of them are really interested in making a name for themselves.

Solo exhibitions

Nihal has done a couple of group exhibitions and some solo exhibitions. “There is so much new talent in Sri Lanka, but they get very few opportunities. I was one who went in search of opportunities. I faced a lot of adversity as an artist. I faced a lot of adversity growing as an artist. I made a lot of mistakes along the way. When searching for opportunities there are so many barriers. When trying to hold an exhibition, there is a certain commission for the gallery, there is also a certain charge and sometimes you have to do marketing. When you look at a painting, the viewer does not know the story behind what went into the making of the painting. The viewer does not know the blood, sweat and tears that went into the making of the painting. People do not know the effort it takes to do a painting. Sometimes you cannot do the marketing all on your own. When you are in a group there is a very supportive atmosphere,” said Nihal.

All artists felt that in order for art to really develop in Sri Lanka, there needs to be recognition, respect and reward. “An artist cannot survive if his/her paintings do not sell. As an artist we paint because it is our passion. But if our paintings do not sell, there is no going forwards. No matter how much you like what you are doing, it is not practical if your paintings do not sell. In Sri Lanka there is no such platform or foundation. There is no one to sponsor the artist or help the artist. Unless you are an established artist, you do not get a chance in a gallery. So talent and opportunity have to come together. Unless you exhibit, no one knows you or sees your painting. You become famous only if people see your paintings. I feel if you are doing art, you need to do exhibitions. So we have organized ourselves as a group and we are doing this exhibition,” added Nihal.