AWA show 2007

Sunday Observer magazine takes a closer look at the recently concluded AWA show held at the Lionel Wendt Gallery.

Association of Women Artists

The Association of Women Artists (AWA) was initiated at the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts (VAFA) in 2001. VAFA

 provides special space and care for the activities of AWA.

Members of AWA are not only women artists who followed art making programmes at VAFA but also invited women artists from outside VAFA too. AWA organizes an annual visual art exhibition each March, since 2001 to commemorate International Women's Day.

AWA's objectives are making art, conducting research and documentation work on women's art, hosting discussions and workshops to enrich AWA and the community.

Menika - van der Poorten

Menika has been involved with photography for over 20 years as a Photographer, Picture Researcher, Teacher, Arts Administrator and Editor both here and in England.

Menika received her secondary education at Visakha Vidyalaya and her photographic education at the John Cass School and, London and at the University of Westminster. She taught at the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts for 5 years.

The Overseas School of Colombo and The Colombo Academy of Design are some of the institutions where she has taught on a freelance basis.

Artist's statement

Memory, Personal Histories, space, time, the transient, the fragmentary and ephemeral and the mundane bits of life are my inspiration.

I work mainly in Black and White and colour film, but, inspired by friend and photographer Joy Gregory, I have included a few 'Sun Prints' which are not lens based, not replicable and always have an element of the unknown.

Noeline Fernando

At present, in addition to her own work, Noeline Fernando is actively engaged in providing an art education to children at Sapumal Foundation.

Art Education

1965 Joined Melbourne Art Classes headed by Mrs. Cora Abraham. 1991 Open Studio Classes in Life Drawing at the Heatherly School of Fine Art Chelsea, England.

Artist's statement

"My style is direct. I enjoy my capacity to redefine structures as in the make up of faces or that of a landscape. I enjoy paintings and working creatively."

Sameera Macan Markar

Art Education: 2000-2004 VAFA Certificate Course in Painting

Artist's statement

Cityscape' is the title of this ongoing series of paintings. As I have lived most of my life in Colombo and having

 seen Colombo's skyline changing drastically in the last few years, the drastically disastrous roads and the lack of basic infrastructure in the city, I pause to reflect about what urbanization means to Sri Lanka.

Inoka De Silva - (Education)

2005 Bachelor of Fine arts, University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo.

Artist's statement

"At a glance might be not seen,
Everybody every time everywhere hiding
Suffering with masked mentality
Conceal and mistrust
We all deceive
Trust gone away from our hearts
Therefore addiction will be hidden
We decoy ourselves
Within us we keep hidden, within us evil is also hidden
Unobserved
Ethnic conflict extended to war
War mongers and anti-war all
Hidden this way
If this conflict continues perennially
The unborn too
Will be hidden continuously"

Christine Ruth (Education)

1996-1999 Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts, Certificate course (Full time) Course in Painting.

Artist's statement

"I like nature. I have nothing to say more than that."

Sajeewani Hewawitharana

Education

2007 B.F.A (Painting), University of Visual and Performing Arts. 2006 Figure Painting Course at Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts.

Artist's statement

"To provoke thoughts through depicted objects and patterns are my main ambition. Artificial beauty of the 'delicious' food and its presence and absence. Decay is one of my themes in this collection of works.

I attempt to combine still life as a painting genre with my experiences and interests as a woman painter. There is a traditional belief that knitting, weaving, cooking etc. can be considered as women's work. Lace and Embroidery patterns and objects on it reveal new readings about on these notions."

Padma Rajapaksa (Education)

1973-1980 B.F.A in Sculpture, Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya.

Artist's statement

"Now I am a mother for 3 sons. I try to reflect the concerns of 'woman' in my drawings and paintings. My sculpture focuses mainly on the female form. As sturdy as a rock, gentle as a moon, graceful as a swan, "Woman" I love her, and she inspired me."

Deepika Sanjeewani Welikala

Education:

1999-2002 VAFA Certificate Course in Painting, Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts. Currently Undergraduate of Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Visual and Performing Arts.

Artist's statement

"I feel that women behave within a certain frame and I try to depict that through my still-life series."