‘Matara Festival for the Arts’ first edition to kick-off in February 2024

• Champions #Culture CommunityCollaboration in an arts-led economic and social revival of Matara Fort and district

Matara Festival for the Arts (MFA), a celebration of Contemporary Art and Music from Sri Lanka and beyond, will kick off its first edition on independence weekend, 2 to 4 February 2024.

It follows the weekend after the Galle Literary Festival, providing tourists and Lankans alike with further reason to spend the start of the year out along the south coast.

The festival is banking on the distinctive power of an arts-led economic and social restart for the UNESCO-listed Matara Fort, Matara town, and the district. It also seeks to build bridges of vibrant and educative exchange via the arts with those from other parts of the country and diasporic and international collaborators.

The primary program is curated by esteemed contemporary artist and archaeologist Prof. Jagath Weerasinghe, and musician and educator Dr. Sumudi Suraweera of Music Matters, and will see the unveiling of a feature exhibition and a concert – with artist and performer details to be announced ahead.

The festival will be centred on the pillars of #Culture CommunityCollaboration presented in focused and intersectional modes. One example of this is the ‘Art for Community and Collaboration’ project which started14 October and sees leading contemporary artists and performance artists mentoring aspiring ones on contemporary art as they work towards producing a collaborative artwork to be presented at the festival.

Other core values of the program include diversity as a strength, economic inclusivity, and environmental sustainability, as they align with the future resilience and progress of communities. Along these lines, additional festival programming will see innovation catalyst Randhula de Silva lead a workshop and conversations component, while the Good Market will be a capacity-building partner in the set-up of a community market in collaboration with the Matara District Secretariat and other partners. The Government at multiple levels has also been a crucial partner in preparing the spaces for the festival that will continue in the longer term to benefit the community – particularly its youth.

The festival is co-founded by Jayanthi Samaraweera Gunewardena and Chanchala Gunewardena, who carry on the work of their family member the late Mangala Samaraweera via the Freedom Hub in Matara, and Prof. Weerasinghe who was a collaborator of Samaraweera’s in efforts of art for peacebuilding.

John Keells Holdings PLC’s CSR entity John Keells Foundation (JKF) is a patron sponsor of the festival.

JKF provides funding support for the festival’s art component on 3 fronts, supporting all 12 artists for the contemporary art exhibition; funding the complete ‘Art for Community and Collaboration’ programme featuring 8 aspiring artists; and sponsoring 6 speakers for the workshop and discussions component.

Additionally, Geraldine Coates and Robert McDowell of artsvenue Summerhall in Edinburgh, Scotland; Amba Estate Founder and impact investment advisor Simon Bell, and George Keyt Foundation Chairman Malaka Talwatte, are serving as festival advisors.

The festival welcomes more like-minded companies and individuals to join them as patrons and sponsors in the other aspects of the larger program.

The festival is also in coordination with business owners in Matara who are leading their own ‘Safe and Green’ city clean-up initiative in the run-up to the festival.

Festival Team: Art Program Curator and Festival Co-Founder Prof. Jagath Weerasinghe and Music Program Curator Dr. Sumudi Suraweera

Festival Co-Founders Jayanthi Samaraweera Gunewardena and Chanchala Gunewardena