KALĀ
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 aims to provide a new annual platform that contributes to the sustainable development of art ecosystems within the Sri Lankan region and wider South Asia.
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 non-profit programme to commercially-driven endeavors such as artist residencies, talks, workshops, and collaborative collectives.
The main exhibition will take place in the Lionel Wendt Centre, an exhibition space which will be relaunched with the inaugural edition of KALĀ The exhibition, “Pivot. Glide. Echo." has been curated by Mariyam Begum, under the guidance of Sandhini Poddar, KALĀ Curatorial Advisor and Adjunct Curator at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project.
For its inaugural edition, the Art South Asia Project is a proud partner for the programming series, KALĀ x ASAP. The talks and workshops, both in person and digitally, are dedicated to the art ecosystem of Sri Lanka and merging it further with South Asia. The vast and vibrant arts and cultural landscape of Sri Lankan art will be celebrated through discussions of modern and contemporary artists within the country, along with the various institutions that strive to create a unified and inclusive art community. These talks and workshops will be balanced by bridging the Sri Lankan art community with the South Asian institutional leaders and creating further dialogues between the country and the region.
KALĀ is scheduled to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 28 January to 25 February 2024.
KALĀ x ASAP will run from 28 January to 12 February 2024.
https://www.kalasouthasia.com/
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: 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: 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: 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.