Gallery Four life’s triumph amid adversity

Art is the love of Chathuranga Biyagama’s life. He is the CEO and Managing Director of GalleryFourlife, and because art is such an important part of his life and gives him such joy, Chathuranga wishes to share this passion with everyone. That’s where GalleryFourlife comes in, where everyone who loves art gets a chance to make their dreams come true. Today, Culture & Arts speaks to Chathuranga Biyagama about his journey as an artist, his past, present, and future.

Chathuranga believes that you cannot serve money and produce unique and precious creations simultaneously. “Mammon,” a biblical term that means wealth regarded as an evil influence, agrees with him. He acknowledges that you can earn your bread and butter through art, but like other aesthetic fields, you have to do it with passion. Things are now highly commercialized, and success is measured by financial values. “Like every other aesthetic field, people say that you are successful according to how much you earn,” Chathuranga explains. “Many people who enter this field run after money to prove they are successful. When you run after money, I do not think you can produce anything with aesthetic value.”

Chathuranga believes that an artist should have proper knowledge of art and be aware of social matters. Without proper knowledge, one cannot be a good artist, and developing the necessary skills takes time. Patience is also essential in art, as it requires time to master a skill.

If we take ancient masterpieces like the ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper’, these paintings were not done for the purpose of making money. They were not done for the selling purpose. These paintings have become world renowned unique creations because they were done for the sheer joy of painting.

Corporate experience

Chathuranga holds a degree in Strategic Management as well as an LLB and has 14 years of corporate experience, which has helped him convert his passion for art into a business. As an artist, he used to exhibit outside of Sri Lanka. He had the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka in the Amsterdam International Art Fair 2017. At that time, the organizers required a gallery to represent the artist, and since he could not find a Sri Lankan gallery to represent him, he established his own gallery, GalleryFourlife, and participated in the forum. They were the only Asian gallery showcased, and GalleryFourlife was the only Sri Lankan gallery in that forum.

“I studied Art under Lionel Ranaweera when I was a student. He was the art master of Ananda College. As a schoolboy, I won some awards, both national and international. I did a lot of self-study and self-practice when it came to art, and that helped me develop certain techniques. When it comes to art, I even have a reference library. Even now, I continue to study Art and its history, such as the Renaissance period. This has helped me develop my style. At the moment, it is semi-abstract, and I work in both oil and acrylics, and I also do new media art projects as well,” said Chathuranga.

When it comes to GalleryFourlife, they give an opportunity to upcoming artists. He points out that there are very few galleries in Sri Lanka, and they have a monopoly in the field of art. They decide what to showcase and what not to showcase. He added that the Lionel Wendt and JDA Perera galleries are common public showcasing spaces, and they do not really guide artists.

Limited space

It would not be incorrect to say that GalleryFourlife nurtures and looks after these artists. “Here at GalleryFourlife, we do not categorize upcoming artists. We do not say your work is good and your work is bad. With the limited space we have, we give opportunities to each and everyone. We never discourage or criticize them. We try to give an opportunity to every upcoming artist. If their work is poor, what we do is we guide them and help them develop themselves. If they are up to exhibiting standards, we do not label them. Then we just give them the opportunity. So, they have to exhibit and assess their standard by what the viewers say. I believe every artist begins as a novice. So, first, they have to do the work and then showcase it and then let the viewers decide. It is not up to us to tell them that their work is not up to the mark. The audience will have to decide. Once they experience this personally, they will be encouraged,” he explained.

During Covid-19, the biggest question on their minds was how they could move on with the situation. Online exhibitions are good for showing exhibits/creations. But if you want to build an audience, online exhibitions are not that successful. Art is a physical thing. People need to come in person and see the exhibits. That feeling, that personal experience, you cannot receive that online.

In-house projects

“During Covid-19, we had to shut down completely for about six months. So, we started doing in-house projects and certain art creation projects during that period. We also did some online exhibitions. My first challenge was to look after the employees here and the artists working with us. Then we prepared for the time after Covid-19. We mainly focused on social media development and web-based campaigns. We have a very good web-based audience, and we developed those things during the Covid-19 period. Also, during that time, I studied and analyzed how to develop this business. Showing exhibitions and promoting artists are the traditional options art galleries have. Apart from this, we focused on other avenues as well. My team and I are into interior designing and interior consulting, and we conduct art classes and art therapy sessions. We also have art therapy sessions for children with Down Syndrome and hyperactive children. We focus on those as well.”

“At Gallery Fourlife, there is a set of artists working with us who are involved in interior projects. We support each other, and if you are talented, you will get an opportunity with GalleryFourlife.

In 2002, when I was 18 years old, I received State Art Awards. I have represented Sri Lanka in the Asian Art Biennale, the largest art event happening in South Asia. I represented Sri Lanka four times – in 2003, 2014, 2016, and 2018. I have received several awards from other countries as well.”