Colombo Art Biennale Opens; aims to drive societal change

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

After much anticipation and hype, Colombo’s second art Biennale ‘Becoming’ kicked off yesterday, showcasing an insight into what artists hope will ‘become’ of Sri Lanka. The five-day event will be held at various locations across Colombo and will come to a close on Sunday, February 19.

The idea behind the Colombo Art Biennale is to transcend traditional borders of art and push societal change through various art forms and in this sense, CAB will explore what art can do for society at large.

“There are many changes going on in Sri Lanka from a national point of view; everything is in a state of transition both on a global and national level. The Colombo Art Biennale is exploring a progressive approach towards progressive artists and will highlight a wide range of disciplines including paintings, video, film and other performances, really going beyond the traditional forms of art,” explained CAB co-curator Roman Berka.  

Following on from the first edition, the highly successful ‘Imagining Peace’ Biennale in 2009, comes the even more ambitious and spectacular ‘Becoming’ featuring 24 of Sri Lanka’s most talented artists alongside 17 international artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Australia and the US.

“Can art be a catalyst for change in a post-war situation, as Sri Lanka grapples with its past and looks ahead with optimism?” questioned CAB co-curator Suresh Jayaram. “This is a third world biennale of resistance, belonging to Asia and the global South. It’s about learning about contemporary Sri Lankan art and looking at the way things have shaped up, this is one of the most historically important shows to be put on in Sri Lanka.”

Over the past weeks, the Biennale has been splashing a revolutionary series of double-page centre-fold prints of the artists’ work in participating newspapers, bringing art into people’s homes in glorious colour with the theme’s all-embracing concept.

“I was here for the first Biennale as an artist and as a guest curator and at that time was impressed by the quality of work by Sri Lankan artists. The thing that we all share is an absolute commitment to art as a means of change, reaching out to a great audience and celebrating Sri Lankan art. The art is present but it is the response from the public that makes it real,” stated CAB Co-Director Neil Butler.

This year, the art will be displayed at three impressive main locations: the National Art Gallery, The JDA Perera Gallery and Park Street Mews. Up-and-coming artist collective CoCA will be exhibiting their out-of-the-box take on interactive contemporary art at the Warehouse Project, recognising that ‘art needs space’ and inviting the viewer to become part of the artwork.

Added to this will be a host of additional fringe events, screenings, talks, dinners and parties, which are sure to make this year’s festival one to remember.

The ‘Becoming One’ party, a celebration of art and life will, for the first time in Sri Lanka, bring together performers, visual artists, musicians, vocal artists and DJs who will perform at the Warehouse Project. A veritable celebration of the arts, this party will vibrate with artistic local and international energetic talent.

Special mention must be made of the ‘Art of Becoming’ Facebook campaign in which over 4000 people, the world over, have consented to have their profile pictures used to create a giant collage to be displayed at Park Street Mews during the biennale.

For more information including the program of the five-day event, visit the website www.colomboartbiennale.com, the CAB blog www.artaholicblog.com and the Colombo Art Biennale Facebook page.