KALĀ
Read more about the showcase on ASAP Papers.
KALĀ, defined as "art" in Sanskrit, serves as a platform for showcasing South Asian modern and contemporary art, originating from both the local and diasporic arts community. KALĀ, in association with the Lionel Wendt Art Centre, aimed to provide a new annual platform that contributed to the sustainable development of art ecosystems within the Sri Lankan region and wider South Asia. KALĀ took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 28 January to 25 February 2024.
For its inaugural edition, Art South Asia Project partnered with KALĀ for the programming series, KALĀ x ASAP. KALĀ x ASAP ran from 28 January to 12 February 2024. The talks and workshops, both in person and digitally, were dedicated to the art ecosystem of Sri Lanka and to connecting Sri Lankan art further with the South Asia region. The rich arts and cultural landscape of Sri Lankan art was celebrated through discussions by modern and contemporary specialists, curators, artists from the country and wider region, along with representatives of various institutions that strive to create a unified and inclusive art community. These talks and workshops were served to explore the connections between the Sri Lankan art community and South Asian institutions; creating further dialogues within the region.
KALĀ envisions fostering the growth of this event year after year, seamlessly integrating art projects and exhibitions across Sri Lanka with a diverse calendar of engaging talks, online panel discussions, and immersive workshops. KALĀ adopts a flexible and dynamic approach, encompassing a wide spectrum of artistic projects, ranging from public programmes to artist driven endeavors such as artist residencies, talks, workshops, and collaborative collectives.
The main exhibition took place in the Lionel Wendt Centre, an exhibition space that was relaunched with the inaugural edition of KALĀ. The exhibition, Pivot. Glide. Echo. was curated by Mariyam Begum, under the guidance of Sandhini Poddar, KALĀ Curatorial Advisor, Adjunct Curator at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project and ASAP’s Founding Advisory Board Member.
This programming was made possible by the support of Faizal & Shabana Foundation and Lionel Wendt Art Trust.
https://www.kalasouthasia.com/
KALĀ x ASAP Talk Series
ASAP curated a series of talks held in person at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre in Colombo from 28–31 January, tailored to local audiences in Sri Lanka. ASAP aimed to amplify conversations around Sri Lankan artists by contextualising them within broader discussions of South Asian art history. It was also essential to explore how the commercial and development markets operate, alongside providing an art historical framework for deeper understanding. The online discussions were then designed to reach a wider audience eager to engage further with Sri Lankan and South Asian art.
KALĀ x ASAP In Person Talk Series
Title: Insights into Contemporary Practice in Sri Lanka
Date: Wednesday 31 January 2024
Panelists: In an intimate dialogue, artists Mahen Perera and Liz Fernando will be in conversation. The talk will focus on the ideas around their contributions to the exhibition Pivot. Echo. Glide. As the two artists share a close friendship, the conversation will delve into their perspectives on the contemporary and offer insights into their distinct approaches towards materiality.
Title: How Institutions Think: Design and Sustaining Institutions in Sri Lanka
Date: Wednesday 31 January 2024
Panelists: Malaka Thalwatte, Chair of the Board of Trustees of George Keyt Foundation, Rohan de Soysa, Chairman of Sapumal Foundation and Shayari de Silva, Chief Curator of Geoffrey Bawa Trust, discuss the development and significance of their Foundations within Sri Lanka and what makes the institution strive.
Title: Sri Lanka in the Global Art Market
Date: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Panelists: Nishad Avari, Head of Department for South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art at Christie’s Auction House and Amrita Jhaveri, Co-Founder & Co-Director of Jhaveri Contemporary discuss the importance of Sri Lankan modern and contemporary art in the local and global commercial art market.
Title: Reflections on the No Order Group: the 90s in Sri Lanka
Date: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Panelists: The artists Jagath Weerasinghe and Chandragupta Thenuwara will be in conversation to discuss the formation of the No Order Group and the long lasting impact of the ideas of the 1999 manifesto on not only their individual practices but also on contemporary practice in Sri Lanka.
Title: Creating Space: South to South Dialogues with Diana Campbell
Date: Monday, 29 January 2024
Panelists: Artistic Director of Dhaka Art Summit, Diana Campbell, discusses the establishment of Dhaka Art Summit from its inception to its growth, alongside her curatorial practice which blurs boundaries between disciplines and between ‘art spaces’ and ‘life spaces’ across South Asia and the wider world.
Title: Lionel Wendt’s Ceylon: Timeless Affiliations
Date: Monday, 29 January 2024
Panelists: Cassie Machado and Dr. Edwin Coomasaru in conversation about Lionel Wendt’s contemporary significance for Machado’s new body of work and Coomasaru’s research as Sri Lankan diaspora.
Title: What is KALĀ?
Date: Sunday, 28 January 2024
Panelists: Founder of KALĀ, Saskia Fernando, Curatorial Advisor, Sandhini Poddar, Executive Director of Art South Asia Project, Nour Aslam and Curator Mariyam Begum discuss the inception and concept of KALĀ.
KALĀ x ASAP Online Talk Series
Title: Funding and Development in the Arts
Date: Tuesday 20 February 2024
Panelists: Rummana Naqvi, Director of Development of Whitechapel Gallery, and Stefan Winker, Director of Goethe Institut, Sri Lanka, discuss the process of funding and development within art institutions in the UK and South Asia.
Title: Friends and Relations: The ‘43 Group
Date: Tuesday 13 February 2024
Panelists: Shamil Wanigaratne, Author and Clinical Psychologist, Esmerelda Claessen, Writer and daughter of 43’ Group founding artist George Claessen, and Rohan de Soysa, Chairman of the Sapumal Foundation, discuss the importance of the 43 Group in South Asian art history and their personal experiences in relation to the group
Title: New Perspectives: Women Artists in Sri Lanka
Date: Thursday 8 February
Panelists: Anoli Perera, Artist, Jasmine Nilani Joseph, Artist, and Hema Shironi, Artist
ASAP Paper Link: https://artsouthasiaproject.org/asap-papers/new-perspectives-women-artists-in-sri-lanka/
KALĀ x ASAP Artist Workshops
All the workshops for KALĀ x ASAP were selected through an open call process. The in-person workshops with Iaroslav Volovod, Sandhini Poddar, and Diana Campbell were designed for artists based in Sri Lanka. The online workshop “Word and Image” led by Fazal Rizvi, Artist, and Anshika Varma, Publisher & Founder of Offset Projects, took place online and was open for artists throughout South Asia.
Date : Monday 29 January
Artist Portfolio : Artist Portfolio Review with Iaroslav Volovod (Curator, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi)
Date : Tuesday 30 January
Artist Portfolio : Artist Portfolio Review with Sandhini Poddar (Adjunct Curator, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Guggenheim)
Date : Wednesday 31 January
Artist Portfolio : Artist Portfolio Review with Diana Campbell (Artistic Director, Samdani Art Foundation & Chief Curator, Dhaka Art Summit)
Date : Monday 5 February & Saturday 10 February
Artist Portfolio : KALĀ x ASAP Online Workshop "Word and Image: Contemporary Art Practices and the Written Word Portfolio” artist review workshop for artists working with text with Anshika Varma, Artist, Publisher & Founder of Offset Projects, and Fazal Rizvi, Artist.
