15 foreign artists on goodwill mission

A visiting group of 15 international artists from 12 countries pledged part of the proceeds of its works done in Sri Lanka will go for charities in the island. 

Yoshita Ahmed, team leader who had come from Dubai announced here during a dinner banquet hosted by Western Province Governor M. Azath S. Salley at the Governor’s Office on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Governor, who was the Chief Guest, inaugurated the International Painting- Plein –Air 2019 exhibition at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery on Tuesday 20 February. 

UAE Ambassador Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mualla was the Guest of Honour at the show organised by the group.

During its visit to the island, Ahmed said the group had travelled to places of tourist and cultural interests in the country. During this period, each artist put his thoughts and vision on Sri Lanka on their paintings and their works were displayed at the exhibition organised on the last day of their visit to Sri Lanka.

She said the paintings will be given to the authorities in Sri Lanka for sale and part of the proceeds could be given to charities in the island. 

Governor Salley said the visit of artists from various countries was a major boost to Sri Lanka tourism since they will convey their message through their paintings in their respective countries. 

“It is an ideal cultural exchange with people of aesthetic interests,” the governor said, thanking the organisers of the event for giving such a platform for social interaction. 

Fathimah Al Hammadi from the UAE said she was amazed at the scenic beauty of the island and she had produced three paintings depicting the attractions in Sri Lanka. Hayathem Aldossary from Saudi Arabia described Sri Lanka as a wonderland where its scenic beauty is inexplicable. “I was able to project my vision about a scene which I saw in a temple in the country,” she said, adding, “There is tranquillity in the scene that captured most in my mind.” 

Besides Saudi Arabia and UAE, the artists were also from Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Tunis, and the United States.