Kala Pola to celebrate 20th anniversary with innovative new features

By Mike Anthonisz

Kala Pola, the annual open-air art market initiated by The George Keyt Foundation with the sponsorship of John Keells Holdings, will be hosted for the 20th time this year. Being the 20th anniversary, the organisers have planned this year’s Kala Pola as a two day event – on Saturday, 26 January and Sunday, 27 January 2013.

ased on the concept of the open-air art markets of Europe such as those at London’s Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens and Paris’s Place du Tertre at Montmartre, the Kala Pola has established itself today as a much looked forward to event where aspiring artists and art students, as well as even some of the established artists, display their work, see and discuss art with others of their ilk, and meet up with art lovers and potential buyers.

Today, a drive past the National Art Gallery will invariably find many paintings adorning the railings of the Viharamahadevi Park, as young artists display their latest creations. Influenced by the success of the Kala Pola, the concept of a genuine open-air art market has already begun to germinate.

At the inaugural Kala Pola, George Keyt, when driven past the fair by Sita and Cedric de Silva, had been most enthusiastic with what he saw and had declared how honoured he felt to have his name perpetuated with an event that was to give up and coming artists an opportunity to display their skills and so spawn a whole new generation of artists.

This aspiration the Kala Pola has well achieved. Among the new artists who have made their mark at this annual event are such recognised names as Channa Ekanayake, Sudath Abeysekera, Indral De Silva, Edwin Batawala, Indika Pathmananda, Pradeep Jayatunga, among others, whose work today is much sought after by art collectors.

Some of the already well established senior artists have also regularly displayed their work at the Kala Pola, including W. Nayananda, Seevali Illangasinghe, P. Badugodahewa, among a host of others.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the organisers have planned a number of special events for the occasion. The art fair will be extended on the first day to a night market and is scheduled to go on until 10 p.m.

A series of lectures will be held on Saturday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on a range of art-related topics that would be of interest to connoisseurs of art from both the artists and art collectors’ points of view.

This would include a movie on the art-great Picasso and a lecture on the preservation and conservation of art by Sri Lanka’s premier art conservator and restorer Udaya Hewawasam, as well as talks by internationally renowned artist/lecturers from the USA.

After 7 p.m., there will be live music provided by a group of leading jazz musicians and drummers, to keep visitors entertained while they stroll around the grounds and ponder their purchases.

Sunday will see an art auction where connoisseurs will have the opportunity to acquire the work of some of Sri Lanka’s leading contemporary artists. The auction will be held at the Art Gallery and will commence at 10 a.m. The paintings to be sold will be on display from the morning of the same day and prospective buyers could put in their bids from early morning on the basis of a silent auction.

However, all bids will be considered when the live auction commences and the lots will be knocked down to the highest bid whether from the silent auction or the live-one later.

A catalogue on the paintings to be auctioned will be printed and made available prior to the event.

Meanwhile, the Colombo’s art galleries too have been approached in order to co-ordinate their exhibitions and ensure a truly artistic weekend on 26 and 27 January 2013.

So art aficionados, remember to make a note of the dates and be sure to visit the Kala Pola 2013.