An artful way to donate and collect

• The Silent Auction of Modern & Contemporary Art organised by the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind in collaboration with the Saskia Fernando Gallery tomorrow at Temple Trees Auditorium

 The Silent Auction of Modern & Contemporary Art returns for its largest event yet at a time of noticeable growth of the local art industry, organised by the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind in collaboration with the Saskia Fernando Gallery. Including works by leading modern and contemporary artists the auction line up features 42 works donated by artists and collectors. 

The line up of works includes a piece by Jamini Roy, exhibited at the Sapumal Foundation for 25 years and ten Stanley Kirinde works on paper to be auctioned as one series. Artist Jagath Ravindra, Jagath Weerasinghe, Chandragupta Thenuwara, Priyantha Udagedara, Sarath Gunasiri Perera and many other leading contemporary artists all donated works for this third consecutive auction. The exciting new feature for this event is the one-foot high elephant sculptures painted by 12 artists in their signature style. The works will be exhibited to invitees and those registered for the auction on 24 August at Temple Trees Auditorium. 

A silent auction is a bit different from a traditional auction in that attendees do not always know the current high bid – while an auctioneer may be present, he is not calling out the highest bid amount on one particular item or closing bids once bidders stop bidding. Bidding in a silent auction is done privately via clipboards or on sheets of paper set up at tables; you may bid on multiple items at once. Afterward, the written bids are examined and the person who bid the highest for each item claims and pays for that item. 

Aimed at encouraging interested parties to out-bid each other in a subtle, private manner, all the funds will go towards the funding of the school for the year. The works on display will be numbered and the bids can be placed at a bidding table over the two hours during which the event takes place. The final bids will close at 9 p.m., unless there is still bidding between parties taking place. Bids are at an increment of 10% of the starting bid, and can be placed after guests register with the bidding counter.

Those attending can hope to view an esteemed collection of work while also giving back to those in need. The auction itself has encouraged many students of the school to contemplate a career in the arts and the event has also provided all those involved the opportunity to become involved in an event that will continue to grow from strength to strength. 

To register for the auction please email [email protected] or call 0117429010.