Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Art Exposition under spotlight

Art is an international language communicating across cultures to enrich and enlighten diverse communities of social, political and economic interests. The Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Artist Exchange Programme is one that nurtures this idea and concept.

The High Commission of Bangladesh to Colombo, partnered with Gallery Four Life, Sri Lanka, recently to present Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Artist Exchange Programme. The exhibition aimed to project contemporary art practices among the artists of the two lands. Conceived by the Sri Lankan artist Chathuranga Biyagama, the event focused on showcasing recent trends of contemporary art.

The High Commission of Bangladesh to Colombo supported the programme as its co-organiser. Based on the theme -- Peace and Harmony through Art, the programme  coincided with the celebration of the Victory Day of Bangladesh in Sri Lanka. The project envisaged merging six contemporary Bangladesh artists -- Bishwajit Goswami, Sourav Chowdhury, Kuntal Barai, Iqbal Bahar Chy, Mong Mong Sho and Arifa Evana. Five leading and upcoming artists from Sri Lanka, namely Jagath Raveendra, Chamila Gamage, Chathuranga Biyagama, Anuradha Punchihewa and Nisansala Rjapaksha, also participated in the exchange programme. 

In the first phase of the programme, the eleven artists participated in a group exposition at Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo 7. They simultaneously held a unique two-day workshop in the ancient city of Anuradhapura in central Sri Lanka on the same theme.

Bangladeshi artists also shared their creativity with the cancer patients undergoing with treatments at Cancer Care Association, Anuradhapura, giving them hope and mental relief. The in-house patients had a life time experience with the creativity of Bangladeshi artists in this unique and emotional session.

In the second stage of the programme, the Sri Lankan artists will travel to Bangladesh with their artworks and hold a group art exhibition with the six Bangladesh artists who had exhibited in Sri Lanka. The exhibition is scheduled to be held in Dhaka (Bangladesh) around mid-April 2020, coinciding with nationwide celebration of Bengali New Year.

The exchange programme was organised by the Gallery Four Life (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka with the vision of taking Asian art talents to international arena. It also envisages to connect other Asian countries like India, Pakistan, China, Iran, UAE, and Japan through art.