Power of local art

A powerful turnout of over a hundred people went to the Leo Burnett advertising agency gallery courtyard for the book launch of ‘The Power of Sri Lankan Art’ book including top Sri Lankan artists, business people, The Founder of the Galle Literary Festival Geoffrey Dobbs and academics including Professor Ashley Halpe, Harold Peiris, Professor Albert Dharmasiri and one of the country’s leading bronze artists Professor Sarath Chandrajeewa, who gave the speech on the importance of documenting Sri Lankan Art.

A stunning book with 360 pages of full colour images covering art from 1943 to 2012. This delightful evening was all part of a series of events in which everyone who attended had to make their artistic mark on the entrance canvas in one of the countries biggest communal art pieces produced during the course of the two-hour launch.

From the moment guests signed in whether they were the head of Jetwing Shiromal Cooray or renowned writers such as Herman Guneratne who wrote The Suicide Club.

The speeches were followed by a cake cutting by the countries leading professors and like the food served it was a brilliant replica of the front cover of the book right down to the two Beatles style characters, which was painted with food coloring by top cake artist at the Cinnamon Grand.

Guests then enjoyed the courtyard exhibition of Leo Burnett Art from young talented new kids and the publisher Juliet Coombe says she was touched and amazed by the growing interest in Sri Lankan art, proving just how powerful Sri Lankan Art is.