Sri Lanka’s amateur and professional artists and sculptors have a show all to themselves on a Sunday soon when they exhibit their works of art (and some oddities) in Colombo.
Colombo’s street art has a long history with paintings hung on railings, attracting the admiration of tourists as well as customers who buy colourful Sri Lankan scenes (the stilt fishermen of Weligama, village life, and Sigiriya are popular) for their homes or guesthouses. Paintings of all kinds and styles, including abstract and still life, can be seen on most days along one side of the main thoroughfare of Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha.
Under the unamused eye of a stately statue of Queen Victoria (sitting on a plinth at a side entrance to the Museum), painters display their wares while commuters rush past in buses and cars. It’s a pleasant walk for pedestrians and a chance to pick up a unique and unusual souvenir of Sri Lanka. Bargaining is expected – but how do you price an original work of art?
For the past quarter of a century, on a Sunday early in the New Year, the John Keells Foundation has sponsored a day-long street art fair so artists from around the country can join the regulars in exhibiting their works of art. The talent on display then is amazing. Some painters will even demonstrate their skill by painting peoples’ portraits as they pose in the shade of trees beside the road.
With the weather usually fine at this time of the year, Colombo’s street art fair becomes a jolly event, with entertainers, snack stalls and the chance to buy a work of art to take home.
Colombo’s Street Art
The event would be on 24th February 2019, at Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha (Also known as Green path, close to the Colombo Public Libary)
Guru’s Tip:
The annual street art fair is known as “Kala Pola” with “Kala”- sounding similar to “colour” – meaning “Art”, and “Pola” being the Singhalese for “Fair.” If you want to buy, our tip is to stroll up and down the length of the street to see all the paintings on display and choose the ones you’d like, asking the price. Then come back later in the day, when the crowds have thinned and, if the painting hasn’t sold, make an offer.
