‘Fe+’ – Contemporary art showcasing wildlife

Saturday, 13 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

nArtist extraordinaire Lalith Senanayake’s fourth exhibition ‘Fe+’ was held at Gandhara from 2 to 7 December and was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Here, Lalith writes about his inspiration for this exhibition

Transforming the glory of sight, the beauty of the world around me through the medium of art and drawings, I think has come to me as a gift from God, or perhaps from merits I have I earned in lives before. It is different from being taught to draw, to me drawing is an evocation of my inner self, how I interpret beauty, sadness, colours and life, and the stimulations derived from the nature that surrounds me. My meandering through jungles and villages, cities and people when time permits, has not only given me immense pleasure, but instilled in my soul the rhymes and the rhythms of peoples and cultures both traditional and dynamic, permeating vibrancy of life around me, to the wildlife, and to the waters that gush through the jungles. So, the journey towards an exhibition began; something different from what I’ve attempted so far, doing sculptures in live settings, and experiencing wildlife as never before. I started busying myself making quick sketches of wild animals, and then gathered waste metallic products such as motor parts, cutlery and assembled them proportionately to form creations of wild beauty. This was a concept bringing to gather my passion for wildlife and the yearning for creating works of art. In my mind every nut and bolt, silencer, steering wheel, that was thrown aside and piled up created a definite shape in my mind’s eye that could be beautified and re-created contributing ultimately to the goal of Conservation of Nature. Some of this work I carried out in Anuradhapura, from where I gained artistic inspiration and zeal from the palaces that once stood within a glorious civilisation, where you see the ruins that their speak of a history that enthralling the mind. To wonder about the immense capacity of the then sculptors, to think of all the architectural beauty, to even imagine the hydro technical engineering utilised then, were all part of an ingenious history. It’s seemingly impossible to forget the elephants, peacocks, and the hornbill as part of nature and the chena crops that spread across vast areas with sesame, and corn. The experiences I had were more precious to me since I could sense the presence of the elephants from a distance through smell, while patiently and painstakingly putting metallic nails together, one after the other. I look from side to side as response to this scent to catch a glimpse of this giant creature. I soon was told by my colleagues while doing a sculpture of a hornbill, that these birds were in fact responsible for the loss of large amounts of chili from crops of Anuradhapura and hence were nicknamed ‘Chili Robbers’. To see myself how they went about doing this, I waited for hours atop a ficus tree and watched in patience. Even the snakes that slithered past me took no notice of me, perhaps knowing that I was another child of nature. The endless chirping of the crickets at night and the mourning of the owls brings sadness and the yearning to see my beloved children Yani and Pawan after weeks of not hearing their laughter and cries. A slice of aloe on my eyes to soothe the pain and gain back my vision after being dissuaded from working for hours on end, welding under the beating sun, thinking of the unfinished work that lies before me, made it impossible for me to rest even for awhile. Now as I walk amidst the finished works of art, thoughts rush to my mind of how I bent even the toughest steel to create a beautiful work of art, to bring in joy to the mind of us humans, and at the same time reminding me of the hard times away from family and friends,. Tough times are now over and I’ve reached my goal, now it’s time to share the joy of these wonderful creations with you. So this is the journey my exhibits have made to the idyllic location for an exhibition at Gandhara, in Stafford Avenue, Colombo 6. Dian Gomes, who has the good fortune to own this beautiful sprawling architectural creation including the green garden, will always have my gratitude for graciously opening his doors to exhibit my works here. Artists are considered to be sensitive, displaying empathy, responding to needs of other people…and there, you Dian, are also an artist. That is how I would record my thanks to you. I would perhaps fail in my thanks if I don’t mention that I originally planned to have this exhibition in Forest Rock Garden in Nochchiyagama, Anuradhapura. To my inquiry from the founder of this hotel, Baladurage Chandrasiri, “Can I do an exhibition here?” without knowing anything about me at the time, the answer was an instinctive “yes of course,” which was the most welcoming response, for which I’m truly thankful. To Gamini Senarath, Chief of Staff of the President’s Office, who took a personal interest in making my exhibition a reality and graciously accommodating my request to facilitate the participation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the Chief Guest. These works of art would also not have been possible, without the help of so many who stood by me from the beginning till the end, specially to my team – Kingsley Senanayake, my twin brother Prasad Senanayake, Lushan Senanayake, Nilantha Perera and Shan, Ajith and Anura for staying on through all weather conditions. To Anura Dissanayake, Chef of Forest Rock Hotel, who gave me meals when I was weary, Sarath Gamge, Jayantha Yapa and Vishwa Jayampathi, and Indika Ranathunga for sorting and providing me with metallic waste from time to time and for helping me out with the framing of the paintings, to Mendis Wickramasinghe and Prasad Abeywickrama for all his support extended for taking the photographs for the book, Prabath Sahabandu for the courage he had always extended in the world of media, and to my teachers, Prof. Sarath Chandrajeeva, J.E. Antony, M.L. Timoteus ,Kalyani Wijayashinge, Jayantha Nanayakkara, Bro. Placidus and Bro. Ignatius. I would also like to thank Dilini de Silva, Asanka Pradeep, Sisira Paranatantrie, Chula Rathwatte, Mahinda Wijesundara, Anjelo Wickramasooiya, Nayanaka Ranwella, Ravi Nahagawatte, Nethu Wickramasinghe, Chaminda Wariyagoda, Bimal Rathnayake, Dinuka and Sunil Santha for tremendous support extended towards me. I got so much media exposure and publicity and as well as encouragement for my creations from the following personnel and I would really like to give my special thanks to Lakshman Perera, Chandani Wijetunga and Bandula Dinapurna.