Jagath Weerasinghe’s Hiding
It never ceases to amaze me that our cultural critics – and I refer exclusively to those writing in English – do not address our art. You meet them at exhibitions, where…
Arts and Theatre
Meetings across acrylic, canvas and dance: India-Sri Lanka Artists Week
I spent some time with 12 visual artists and 1 dancer, from Sri Lanka and India, at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo today, who are part of an interesting and pioneering…
Launch of Short & Sweet: An anthology of (very) short stories on Sri Lanka
After over an year in production, ‘Short & Sweet’, Sri Lanka’s first hint fiction anthology is almost ready to hit the bookshelves in Sri Lanka, and online bookstores. As noted in the…
Her Majesty’s Wealth
/ Photo provided by artist, with whom copyright resides The other day, my friend was hanging up this piece of art that he had just purchased from his artist friend Sue Kneebone….
The Politics of Paraya
Image courtesy Mind Adventures Theatre Company We may applaud Mind Adventures’ Paraya for many things. We may celebrate it for its visual mastery, its bold dialogue and the intensity and physicality in…
30 Years Ago: Audio recordings of panel discussions
Photograph by Tehani Ariyaratne, from 30 Years Ago To complement the launch of 30 Years Ago and focus on some of the issues the project is anchored to and inspired by, four panel discussions…
Interview with Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke, Director of ‘Paraya’
Directed by Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke and produced by Mind Adventures, will begin its run on 18th of this month to the 21st. For any other theatrical production, that description would suffice, along with…
Interview with Vimukthi Sahan at Paradise Road Galleries
This is an interview conducted by Janaka Samarakoon, the curator of www.cultura.lk, with the young artist Vimukthi Sahan on the occasion of his 2nd solo exhibition, now on at the Paradise Road Galleries,…
Ode
The following poem was read out to the Sri Lanka parliament by the Hon Lakshman Jayakody and appeared in the Hansard 1998. It was reprinted in the ‘Anthology of the Galle Literary…
Book review: The Hungry Ghosts
is Shyam Selvadurai’s fourth novel, and almost certainly his best. The themes are familiar, from the personal strife caused by the narrator’s sexuality and ethnicity, to the political backdrop of Sri Lanka’s…
Chandraguptha Thenuwara’s ‘Beautification’
Photo courtesy Vikalpa’s photo set of the exhibition Leading Sri Lankan artist Chandraguptha Thenuwara’s most recent exhibition entitled Beautification makes parody of contemporary Sri Lanka by suggesting that peace is but a…
Daddy: A Mad Incestuous Dance
Incest in this country has probably been always spoken about, albeit in hushed, almost reverent whispers. Curiosity has probably always led to incestuous acts among children, but then, is that something we…
‘Flying Fish’ and the Constriction of the Arts in Sri Lanka
I met Sanjeeva Pushpakumara last year in a little art cinema off the Champs Elysees at the showing of Ashoka Handagama’s Ini Avan. It seemed he knew me from his days as…
30 Years Ago: An unprecedented look at Black July
In August this year, will launch a compelling collection of content to commemorate 30 years since Black July. The content will feature original podcasts, photography and writing on a dedicated website. Building…
In conversation with Michael Mendis: Winner of 2013 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Asia
Michael Mendis is the winner of the 2013 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Asia. ‘The Sarong-Man in the Old House, and an Incubus for a Rainy Night’ can be read in full…