…IN SEARCH OF NIHAL FERNANDO

by Rohan Wijesinha

A film by Martin Pieris
Lionel Wendt Arts Centre
24th February 2025
6.30pm
Free Admission

At the beginning of this month, the Barefoot Gallery hosted an exquisite exhibition of the photography of Nihal Fernando (NF), and of some of the photographers and artists who were inspired by him. Those who were privileged to see it would understand that the superlatives used to describe his artistry are woefully inadequate in describing his creative skill; turning the two dimensional into three…and even more.

What shaped this unique human being? What influenced him to become who he was? Where was his inspiration from? Always modest, never the one to pamper his own ego, NF never wrote a biography and would probably have baulked at the idea of one being done. He lived in the knowledge that his work would be his legacy, not just his photographs, but all that he fought for – to preserve the rich natural and cultural heritages of Sri Lanka. As such, it is fortuitous that in a completely different endeavour, timed almost perfectly to coincide with the aforementioned exhibition, is the release of the film “…in search of Nihal Fernando”. This tries to answer some of these questions.

The filmmaker

Dr. Martin Pieris was born in Sri Lanka and lived here for the first 12 years of his life. A child of diplomats, he travelled with his parents to Ghana and Australia, before finally settling in Australia. His background is in the field of commercial photography in Canberra and Sydney, and in Academia at the Canberra School of Art, ANU, University of Newcastle, Australia and Torrens University, in Fine Art and Digital Imaging. He is a newcomer to film making, with a passion originating in the love of the photographic narrative and storytelling. Dr Pieris has been steadily researching and growing an understanding and deep respect for the work of Sri Lankan artists, creative individuals and groups. His intention, to grow a global awareness of Sri Lankan culture and art practices. As he describes it,

“My first film, Song of Lanka, began during my PhD research at the University of Newcastle in 2015 – an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of combining visual imagery with sound and music to form a narrative. Since completing my research, based on the influences of the 43 Group on Sri Lankan contemporary art, in 2021… I have completed two

…IN SEARCH OF NIHAL FERNANDO other films ‘From Isle of Wight to

Ceylon – Julia Margaret Pattle Cameron’ in 2022

and a’…trouble with Laki – life and times of the Sri Lankan artist Laki Senanayake 1937-2021, in 2023…all three films have a Sri Lankan narrative.”

“Unfortunately, I never met Nihal Fernando. As one of the interviewees in the film points out “the artistic history of Sri Lanka will always remember Nihal Fernando because of his exquisite photography, but that would be a travesty, if he was only remembered for that, because he was totally committed to conservation, the protection of wild places, wild creatures of Sri Lanka, and to the people. Because conservation is primarily about people. When we fight for the environment, we fight to save our natural world, we are also fighting for ourselves…”

The film highlights NF’s breathtaking photography of Sri Lanka which he captured throughout his life with immense skill and dedication, promoting the natural wilderness – “The Wild, The Free, and The Beautiful” (the title of one of his several publications). The film includes interviews with those he influenced, not only with his photography, but also his love and attention to the wildlife and wild places and the people of Sri Lanka.

Dr. Martin Pieris

A visually stunning film

Previews of the film contain spectacular visuals of NF’s work, of the places and subjects he photographed, and the views of some those he was close to. Unsurprising, this level of visual clarity, for Dr Pieris, amongst his numerous academic achievements, is a Doctor in Fine Art. In addition to his films, he has also published books on Sri Lanka, of portraits and personal stories, The Sri Lankans – a portrait of a developing nation, published in 2007. The Sri Lankan narrative continued with Serendip to Sri Lanka – a photographic journey in 2012 and subsequently “The ˙43 Group and its Legacy in Sri Lanka”, completed in 2021.

It is very apparent from his work that Dr Pieris, too, shares a great love for the land of his birth, and of the creativity that it has fostered among its people. As he states,

“My intention is to pursue the Sri Lankan narrative in selected areas of the arts – the stories that interest and inform me about the personal achievements of individuals and groups; the pursuit of excellence, facing all hindrances that a particular environment offers. I find filmmaking offers me the opportunity, in a myriad of ways, to combine visuals, sounds, music and voices to develop a story and in turn, develop my own skills in each of these areas.”

As such, the evening of Feb. 24 seems a perfect way to spend an evening to watch Dr Pieris’s search unfold, on 24 foot screen, and to revel in the artistry of one of Sri Lanka’s legends of photographic art and humanity, Nihal Fernando, and the visual, narrative skills of Dr. Martin Pieris.