Exploring Connections Through Shared Perspectives

by Malinda Seneviratne

An Exhibition of Photographs by Nihal Fernando and the work of photographers, artists and sculptors who have travelled with him and/or been inspired by him and his publications.

The exhibits will feature the work of Nihal Fernando, Pat Decker, Maxi Decker, Mithra Weerakone, Luxshmanan Nadaraja, Charith Pelpola (all formerly of Studio Times Ltd) as well as contemporary artists and sculptors Asela Abeywardene, Channa Ekanayake, Sumudu Ellepola, Chandika Gunasekara, Nimalasiri Jayasena, Hiranya Malwatta, Salome Nanayakkara, Thisaru Prabashwara, Ruwan Prasanga, Dominic Sansoni, Kavindu Sathsara, Kasun de Silva, Charlene Thuring, Sarinda Unamboowe, Shane Walgama and Karunasiri Wijesinghe.

Dates:

31 Jan 2025 – 06 Feb 2025, 10 am-6.30 pm daily

Venue:

Barefoot Gallery, 706 Galle Road, Colombo 3

Entrance Free.

All Exhibits are available for purchase

Nihal Fernando (1927-2015) dedicated his life to photography. Starting off as a press photographer with the Times Group, he later purchased Studio Times in 1963 and set about taking portrait, advertising and commercial photographs. His efforts were also channeled into photographing Sri Lanka in all its wonder. Not satisfied with the mere accumulation of images, he has set about sharing the Studio Times collection of photographs with the public by means of exhibitions, publications, features in newspapers, etc., in an attempt to create an awareness and appreciation of Sri Lanka’s heritage as a forerunner to its preservation.

It would be a travesty if Nihal Fernando is remembered only for his photography. He was also an activist who strove to protect this country’s environment from further degradation on many fronts. He was a behind the scenes campaigner for the banning of mechanized logging in Kanneliya and Sinharaja rain forests. He served on the Board of Ruk Rakaganno, the Environmental Foundation and the Fauna & Flora Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment.

The Press called him a “social crusader” because of his involvement in public interest litigation, seeking court rulings with regard to the Intellectual Property Bill and the Water Reforms Bill, the former ensuring that Sri Lankans would have access to quality drugs at affordable prices and the latter which ruled against the privatization of water. He also spear-headed the movement against open-cast mining at Eppawela by a multi-national company. The judgement of the Supreme Court in this instance made legal history not only in Sri Lanka, but globally as well. It is perhaps also the only time in conservation history that a National Trade Union has taken industrial action in support of an environmental cause.

Fishermen with net by Pat Decker

Anuradhapura with two stupas by Nihal Fernando

In the early 1960s Nihal Fernando started supporting the arts by holding exhibitions of Contemporary Art at the Studio Times premises, “to do something constructive and useful to encourage artists, however humble or difficult their circumstances or conditions in life, to place their work before genuine lovers and patrons of art and culture in an atmosphere free from disdain, discord and the dialectics of differing ‘schools’.” (Studio Times Exhibition Catalogue, 1965)

These Exhibitions included the work of Stanley Abeysinghe, Richard Gabriel, Ashley Halpe, Nalini Jayasuriya, Stanley Kirinde, George Keyt, Mano Madawela, Harry Pieris, Barbara Sansoni, Senaka Senanayake, Laki (aged 24), Ismeth Raheem (aged 23) and about fifty others. The Gallery held the one and only exhibition of the posthumously celebrated Fareed Uduman. These artists who were emerging artists at that time, were provided with a space to display and sell their paintings as well in the Studio.

Salome

During his tenure as a Trustee of the Lionel Wendt Memorial Fund, not only was he instrumental in producing ‘Lionel Wendt’ a Monograph by Manel Fonseka, the ‘Centennial Volume’ and ‘Applause at the Wendt’ by Neville Weeraratne, he also helped support and launch artists, including Tissa Ranasinghe and Channa Ekanayake.

It is this creative and inspirational spirit of Nihal Fernando that is commemorated while exploring the connections through shared perspectives of reputed and emerging artists and photographers who journeyed, in every sense of the word, with Nihal Fernando.

The Studio Times photographers as well as Dominic Sansoni and Sarinda Unamboowe have travelled with Nihal Fernando. In the 1990s Channa Ekanayake would borrow prints from the Studio Times files and paint his beautiful drawings of village houses, more of which he has painted for the current exhibition. Kasun de Silva is an explorer and seeker of remote sites as was Nihal Fernando. Ruwan Prasanga has produced sculptured stone fragments inspired by the cave art of Kurullangala. An emerging artist, Sumudu Ellepolla, has sketched her own interpretation of the trees of Maratenne photograph of Nihal Fernando which is published in his book ‘The Wild, the Free, the Beautiful.’ Contemporary artist Kavindu Sathsara has used Nihal Fernando’s photographs of village faces to create wonderfully evocative artworks. Chandika Gunasekara seems to have been inspired by Nihal Fernando’s love to travel on village roads during GNT (“gannu nana time”).

Within the walls of the Barefoot Gallery will be an interesting mix of paintings, photographs and sculpture. The work of each and every artist at this exhibition, reflect the words of Nihal Fernando who wrote in his ‘A Personal Odyssey’ : “I have tried to give something back for what I have received – the pleasure of being born in this Eden, once upon a time.”

For further information please contact: Yohan Weerasuriya 077 775 3975

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