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| Sunday, 30 January 2005 |
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'Through the Dark December' by Rikaza Hassan A most intriguing sight greeted those who walked through the gates of
the 'Haywood' premises at Horton Place last weekend. An This was simply the opening piece of 'Through the Dark December', an exhibition of Visual Art by the Institute of Aesthetic Studies held from January 21 to the 23. Themed 'Education for the Tsunami Victims,' it was a fundraiser for tsunami disaster relief. The art exhibition was the brainchild of W. G. Sarath Gunasiri, the Department Head of the Institute and Nalinda Rasika Pitawalage, President of the Student Council. Initially the students had carried out a coin collection in the streets netting in about Rs. 250 000.
Put together in just two weeks, the exhibition comprised paintings and sculptures produced by not only the students, but also the teachers and past pupils of the Institute. While about 200 of the works of art were completed within two weeks, the rest of the 320 pieces on display were donated from private collections. The paintings were all done free of charge with the artists' bearing the cost of paints and frames. The paintings initially priced from Rs.2000 to Rs.100 000 and more were sold for extravagantly low prices, with most of the paintings being priced way below their value, making it a great bargain for the buyer. The response they say has been good with nearly Rs.300 000 collected from the sales.
They also plan to make several trips to the affected areas and conduct art workshops for the children, giving them a means to express their grief, anger, confusion and hence help them psychologically. Most of the paintings were tsunami related, even though the artists were not given a specific theme to draw on. From abstract to modern to classical, most of the paintings were in dark reds, blacks and greys showcasing the sombre, dark moods of the artists letting out their pent up sorrows and frustrations through their art.
Pix by Thilak Perera |
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arrangement of
cloth covered chairs, old brooms, toys and other everyday household items
turned into a piece of art, it had people stop in their tracks to take a
second look.
However they later decided to put the talents they possessed to good
use, by offering to give something in return to those who gave and come up
with a unique approach to aid-collection. Lack of a gallery gave
precedence to the old adage of necessity being the mother of invention as
offices and classrooms were cleared to be used as gallery space.
The aim of the Institute is to provide relief to the affected children
during a period lasting two to three years. Primarily they will be
concentrating on rebuilding schools and classrooms and providing
stationery and other essential items for school going children.
From large single canvasses to little water colours to three piece
canvasses, to eye-catching sculptures, this certainly didn't look like the
rush job that it was said to be. The exhibition however could have been
better organised as there was no one in sight to obtain prices and other
information that prospective buyers would no doubt require. More publicity
could also have been given with posters and banners (sponsored by the
Gandhara art gallery) spread out over a wider area farther from the
premises. All in all, the exhibition was a different twist in collecting
much needed aid for the worst affected of the tsunami victims.
