Sri Lankan art exhibition in Oman

by Anjali Chandima Silva

Sri Lankan artist Nalini Kodikara displayed her latest collection of paintings at an exhibition titled "Pinsalata Pinsidiweva" at the Alfalaj Hotel, Oman recently. Ambassador for Sri Lanka Asoka Kumara Girihagama was the chief guest. Kodikara who also launched her website on the occasion is the first woman to hold an art exhibition in Oman. Kodikara's paintings create a unique style. They show her inborn talent in art which reveals concepts and emotions and the effects of their evolution. Her paintings are simple and hold deep emotions within. They portray human life and how it evolves throughout with all its aspects. Everyone has different ideas about art. Some of our ideas are influenced by our own perspectives and experience with artistic creations while others are shaped by our teachers and parents. But how much have we thought about these ideas?

At the opening ceremony

Kodikara's artworks would have communicated with the viewers based on their experiences. Using traditional tools and techniques to create art works is her speciality. She has never learnt art in an art school. She has not used modern methods in any of her artworks. This is a good example for young artists who seek modern tools and techniques to produce a good piece of art. Kodikara has produced a few paintings using coffee. This made her paintings unique as this can be considered as the first art painted with coffee. She explores traditional themes in her paintings and the possibilities of expressing and relating to them in her own style within a contemporary art context. "When a work of art or any phenomena touch my soul, I believe this impression to be art", she said.

The exhibition was a great opportunity for the Omani and other communities to be familiar with Sri Lankan heritage and culture. Nalini Kodikara is the wife of the Principal of the Sri Lankan School in Muscat, Oman Somabandhu Kodikara.