AWA artists showcase:

Stunning creations

AWA (Association of Women Artists) commemorated the International Women’s Day by celebrating different dimensions of life such as heritage, relationships, safety, victory, death, moods etc. seen by seven Sri Lankan women artists.

This exhibition consisting paintings, installations, sculptures and photographs, is held at the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts Gallery38, New Jayaweera Mawatha, Ethul Kotte, till March 25. Five women artists: Inoka de Silva, Krishanthi Sepalika Uluwitage, Manori Jayasinghe, Sajeewani Hewawitharane and Thusharangika Indunayani, along with two guest artists : Marie Gnanaraj and Nisansala Karunaratne will exhibit their creations at the event.

The Association of Women Artists was initiated at the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts (VAFA) in the year 2001. Since then with the support of VAFA, AWA has organised Art exhibitions to commemorate International Women’s Day each year in of March.

AWA initial objectives are making art, conducting research and documenting work on women’s art, hosting discussions and workshops. AWA is hoping to initiate their next step this year by voicing social issues through their visual arts with a specific focus on women and children in the society, and by networking with media and civil society associations.

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The artists

Inoka de Silva

Inoka De Silva, Bachelor of Fine Arts, born in Gampola has been participating at many art workshops since 1999 and has partcipated at the group exhibitions since 2003. She also has won awards for Environment Day by Asian Enviornmental Protection Organisation, Sri Lanka and Japan and at State Art and Sculpture Festival in year 2003 and 2005. This year Inokas’ theme ‘Hatta Katu’ a symbol of a woman at her times which she used to make her blouse, unmarked by race or rank.

Using this concept her earnest effort to project the women who is hidden by sight at once but if you are deeply watch that she will be recognised.

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Krishanthi Sepalika Uluwitage

Krishanthi, Bachelor of Fine Arts, has been involved in many group exhibitions since 2003 in several places in Sri Lanka. Krishanthi is speaking about war and its consiquences.

“Only the dead have seen the end of the war.” She says whatever may be the ultimate goal of war only the dead can perceive the deep reality of it. He may be your dearest soldier or the innocent civilians, we experience either success or faliure. Therefore the turning point is to look that in what exacts the soldier transforms divinity.

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Manori Jayasinghe

Manori Jayasinghe born in Dehiwala and working as a Jewellery Designer at a Private Firm for more than ten years.

Apart from jewellery designing Manori also has been working on Sculpture, Paintings and Photography. She has partcipated in group exhibitions since 2006 and won the Silver Award in Japanese Jewellery Category in Sri Lanka Jewellery Design Award. She has created her art work for AWA Show 2009 under the theme of ‘Safety’.

The sad reality is that women live in an increasingly violent society in which the fear of danger is ever present. In her Jewellery the Safety Pin symbolise the danger that makes a woman’s life a misery. But , the woman, much stronger able and energetic than this simple cause can make a difference.

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Sajeewani Hewawitharane

Sajeewani Hewawitharane Bachelor of Fine Arts, has been participated in various group exhibitions since 2004. Her art work inspired by her own home town Matara, which is located down South of the island.

South of Sri Lanka has been famous for many decades for embroidery handicrafts and the interesting fact is this trade specialised for women and as her heritage.

Sajeewani using embroidery as her working media to speak the traditional handicrafts can also seen as arts and she is inviting the audience to look beyond the canvas and think diffrently about works of arts.

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Thusharangika Indunayani

Indunayani is a young artist who is trying to communicate the spiritual bond between the family members and how safely and comfortably a girl can be with a family. Accordingly she has used the concept of family in her works.

Indunayani has studied her arts at the University of Kalaniya and partcipated to group exhibitions since 2008.

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The Guest Artists Marie Gnanaraj

Marie has been designing many weaving works in the weaving trade for more than five decades. Her experience in working closely with women workers has been the inspiration towards her art work presented at AWA Show 2009.

She has taken the effort to present women in her working place who are Strong and Vibrant, calmer and humble and those who suffer in silence but to her surprise all these three diffrent kind of women has yet to find the courge to complete their tasks.

Marie uses weaving panels to present their tangled, interwoven connection to each other in three diffrent colours.

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Nisansala Karunaratne

Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Nisansala Karunaratne started her creative endeavors from a tender age. Nisansala completed her BFA in Photography and Graphic Design from San Jose State University, California, USA. At present, she engaged herself in the creative domain of visual communication.

Nisansala, who is a Creative Director, at Karunaratne & Sons Printers also imparts her knowledge as a visiting Lecturer at the University of Colombo School of Computing at the University of Moratuwa.

Nisansala is an active independent artist working experimentally across mediums and disciplines.

She is a documentary photo artist. Her photographs strongly portray an imaginative quality that is within an object.

Moreover, she is a contemporary painter. She feels her exploration move beyond traditional norms though it is a blend of both traditional and contemporary.

The camera and the paint brush are used to capture and express the abundance and the depth of her observations and thoughts about the universe around her.

Recently she launched “Tranquillity- Rooted in Sri Lanka” photo art diary for year 2009.

In AWA Show 2009 she is telling the story of the blissful women she found over the years as a result of her creative search

Celebrating St.Patrick’s Day

Bringing the subtle rhythms of the ‘River Dance’ and the harmonious synchronization of the ‘King of fairies’, the Irish musical society ‘Aer Lingus’ is performing St.Patrick’s Day today at the Trans Asia Hotel. Not only do the island nations Sri Lanka and Ireland share somewhat similar histories, their love for music and dance is also evident.

As ‘Aer Lingus’, formed in the early 1960s has been christened by its national airline, the musical society consists of staff and guests on ‘Aer Lingus’ who volunteer to spread their traditional music all over the world. Speaking to the Daily News, the group leader, Don Kingsella said, “As I’ve been visiting Sri Lanka almost every year, coming with the ‘Aer Lingus’ group was no problem and we consider it a privilege to play here”.

The ‘Aer Lingus’ group consist of 12 talented musicians, dancers and choir singers including maestro harpist, a bag piper and graceful dancers. Harpist Henry Carpendale (a.k.a. Harry) said, “Ireland is the only country in the world to have the harp as a national emblem and it an honour to play it for the people of Sri Lanka”.

Daring dancer Mairead who has come with her dancing girls, Siobhan and Kelly says, “Irish dancing is categorised into ‘Sean-nos’, ‘Bush’ and Irish Dancing which you have to master at a young age because it is rather difficult”.

The girls change in three different costumes with which to dance which are rather light-weight and flexible making it easy on their toes.

“The best part about dance is that we bring people to join in and learn simple steps so that everyone can join in the fun,” said the dancing girls. The group will be playing jigs, reels and will sing with traditional Irish songs. The aroma of Irish stew and mashed potato with good old Irish coffee will mark St.Patrick’s day (popularly known as ‘Paddy’s Day’) which is an annual feast day celebrating the honor of Ireland’s patron saint.

Yummy Irish delights like spicy salmon cakes, pan fried mini steak of seer fish and prawns with hollandaise sauce and mango, beef in brandy and white wine cream, duck shepherd’s pie, Dublin coddle and Gammon steaks will tickle your tastebuds! So even if you don’t find a lucky four-leafed clover, you can come along and dance with a cute leprechaun by making merry on St. Patrick’s Day!

Swarnavahini brings the unbelievable

Popular television channel Swarnavahini had introduced a host of reality programs to treat its viewers to a mixture of stunning stunt action, music and dance for March.

‘Talent Sri Lanka’ brings to light some of the amazing talents inborn individuals in the island. The program, hosted by charming young vocalist Nadini Premadasa, is telecast every Friday at 9.30 p.m.

The jury of this exceptional program, packed with stunning stunts and unbelievable action, comprises swimming champ Julian Bolling, veteran actor Robin Fernando and renowned beautician Berni Balasuriya and 11 Sri Lankans who are Guinness World Record holders take part in the show. ‘Talent Sri Lanka’ is produced by Shanaka Ranatunga.

Music and dance blendes together in ‘100 % Live’ which will be aired every Friday a 10 p.m. from March 20.

‘Best Losers’, a program which opens doors for contestants who were eliminated through ‘Singing Star’ and ‘Shadow Star’ will begin telecasting from March 22, every Sunday at 7.30 p.m.

Both programs are produced by Okshan Wijeratna while Swarnavahini Programmes Director Buddhika Kulasekara overlooks the shooting and telecasting sector of the programs.

According to the channel’s Publicity

Manager Nalaka Swarnatilaka the newly introduced reality series will provide a novel experience for local viewers as well as bring their exceptional skills to the spotlight.

RJ

Gajamuthu against injustice

Sanjaya Gunawardena and Nalaka Vedamulla’s latest teledrama, Gajamuthu, is being telecast on Swarnavahini on week days at 7.30 p.m. Scripted by Sunanda Silva, the story is about an individual who dared to go against the injustices forced on the society by those who have wealth and power.

Saddha Mangala is a public medical supervisor at the town hall. He is happily married to Sriyalatha and is the father of two daughters, Vandana and Sanduni. He is committed to his job and in doing justice to his work without accepting crooked means, he is faced with many obstacles.

While still engaged in school studies, Vandana forms a relationship with Lasanga, the sons of Mallika, a neighbouring woman who sells cows milk for a living. Vandana decides to put a dot to her love affair once it falls on the ears of her parents but fate decides not to part the lovers.

Meanwhile both Rathnawansha, an owner of a hotel in the city, and the Governor face a lot of difficulties because of Saddha Mangala. They plot together to bring his downfall and soon Saddha Mangala loses his job. With all odds against him will Saddha Mangala be able to save his employment, family or even his own self from a society filled with greed, injustice and bribery?

Chathurika Peiris, Sujani Menaka, Jayalal Rohana, Pubudu Chathuranga, W. Jayasiri, Avanthi aponsu, Asela Jayakody, Sriyani Watthegama, Susila Kottege, Hashinika Karaliyadda, Shan Bandu Weerasinghe, Quites Weerakoon, Sunil Perera, Gamini Jayalath, Premadasa Vithanage, Kumar Atthanayake, Damien Jayalath, Raji Mendis, Shirley R. Jayasinghe and Umayangana make up the cast of Gajamuthu.

Kumara Galmuruwa and Saman Samarawickrama are the editors while Asela Salgadu takes on the role of the art director. The production coordination is by Wasantha Senananda. Sandun Rajakaruna and Shehan Iddamalgoda are the assistant directors. Sanjaya Nipunarachchi is the make up artist, Sarath Wickrama the music director and Elmo Halliday manages the coordination of the sets.

The teledrama is produced by G. Nandasena and Chathurika Peiris on behalf of the Intermedia group.