Nostalgie through Kumar’s lenses

Exhibition of black and white photographs :

The Alliance Francaise de Kotte launches its cultural season for 2011 with Nostalgie a delightful exhibition of black and white photographs by Kumar de Silva celebrating France and her rich splendour.

The exhibit takes visitors to different scenes through France’s multi- faceted diversity from daily scenes of cosmopolitan Paris to landscapes in sea-fringed Britanny and Montpellier, from sleeping champagne bottles in the cellars of the House of Dom Perignon to snails cooked in white wine, from sunbathing in Strasbourg to itinerant musicians and wayside artists and lots more cameo portraits of French life and living.

Chief Guests at the opening at the Alliance Francaise de Kotte at 139 Jawatte Road, Colombo 05 on January 22 will be Director General of the Ministry of Defence Lakshman Hulugalle and Mrs Dilrukshi Hulugalle.

“This year is a significant one in the French part of my life. It is exactly 25 years since I joined the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka, 25 years since I began hosting Bonsoir on ITN and 25 years since I first set foot in Paris.

It is indeed a triple celebration of the francophone and Francophile in me and this is all encapsulated by this exhibition”, de Silva said.

Delegation General of the Fondation Alliance Francaise de Paris and Director of the Alliance Francaise de Kotte, Monsieur Bertrand Dufieux said, “We are delighted to open our cultural season for 2011 with this exhibition of photographs on France. Kumar de Silva has had very long and very close ties with France.

Talking with him and seeing his photographs, I understand why he chose to name this exhibition nostalgie - it is a feeling that is rooted in the longing of the soul for what it considers its second country.

Kumar’s nostalgia for France is so well reflected and with a lot of sensitivity - in these beautiful images - of a land that has adopted him”. “Nostalgie” is open to the public from January 23 to February 06. Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.

The AF de Kotte at 139, Jawatte Road, Colombo 05 is Sri Lanka’s newest French language and cultural centre serving the Colombo and Greater Colombo areas. Affiliated to the Fondation Alliance Fran se in Paris, it enjoys the full patronage of the Government of France and the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka.

After its run in Colombo, Nostalgie travels to the Alliance Francaise in Kandy bringing France in black and white splendor to the central hill capital.