One pleasant evening in November  1992 I stepped into the National Art
Gallery to see an exhibition of an artist of whom I had heard a lot about
from a mutual friend in London. As this artist had recently returned from
the US after his postgraduate studies, I expected his exhibition to be some
what 'deviant' from the exhibitions of the time. At the entrance I was told
by a lady at the desk that it is a 'high standard complicated art' in rather
a cautious manner, maybe to warn me not to become disappointed if I don't
see what is expected in a usual art exhibition of that time.

True to that lady's words it was complicated to start with. My first round
through the gallery took me a while to come to terms with what I was looking
at. Most of the 'paintings' were just scribbles with some statements
repeated painting after painting."I would like to make my own religion"-
this was the repeating statement. Actually it was not complicated, it was
quite straight forward... The meaning of those words did not extend beyond
what it read. This repeating statement confronted me and started engaging
me, the viewer, in a dialogue. Am I a subject of a global religion or am I
constructing my own religion with what I know, what I want and perhaps with
what I believe.

Here, without realising I was actively involved in this dialogue of
self-questioning. I was unable to fathom what I was experiencing in terms of
conventional aesthetic appreciative process. But in rather a squed
appreciative process I realise that this art form requires the active
participation of the viewer for the completion of the full
creative-appreciative processes. This is the basic essence of conceptual art.

This exhibition by Jagath Weerasinghe could be regarded as the first
exhibition to clearly demarcate the shift of Sri Lankan art from a
perceptual level to a conceptual level. Sri Lankan art has held perceptual
tendencies since the early days of ancient cave and temple paintings. These
ancient artifacts were a form of direct representational painting which
visually or imaginatively perceived images from the artist's immediate
environs. At that time there was a need to record important events or to
venerate gods and deities. During this period the subject of art centered
around mainly gods, heavenly beings, Jataka stories and the royalties.

During the colonial period, Sri Lanka art came under the spell of British
influence. This influence can be seen in both religious and secular art.
During this period secular art gained prominence and art became more
'liberalised' and more socially oriented. Introduction of easel ,canvas and
western paint had great impact in the way painting was done up to that time.
There was also a change in the subject matter with landscape and portraiture
becoming important subject matter in art. However the mode of presentation
of subject remained direct representation, perceptual rather than conceptual.

Though the British introduced formal art education and 'departmentalised'
art with state patronage, it was not until C.F.Windsor came as the art
inspector did modern art achieve the impetus to become an important mode in
Sri Lanka. It was the '43 group' that spearheaded the modern art movement in
Sri Lanka. The '43 group' was formed as an alternative group with a small
group of artist supported by well-wishers. It gradually grew up to become
one of the most important and influential art groups in the history of art
in Sri Lanka.

 Modern art introduced the basic concepts of abstraction and expression in
art through alteration in basic elements. This paved way for the indirect
representation where visually perceived external reality was distorted by
the subjectiveness of the artist. Here, the art became a subjective
presentation of external reality. Both Modern art and the '43 group'
remained the dominant forces in the art scene till early 1990's. Artists
seemed to be satisfied and intellectually numbed with the leverage offered
by abstraction and expressionism. These two elements enabled artists to
experiment and espouse their artistic ability without questioning the
limitations and passivity engendered in Modernism.

The artist's perception of reality and how the artist wanted to represent
this reality was the cornerstone of art practice of Sri Lanka. Despite
political unrest and the violence carried out within Sri Lanka's borders ,
the artist remained insulated and alienated to produce an art of
'non-involvement,' an art which was indifferent to the external reality. In
one sense 'non-involvement' could be regarded as a stagnant art which did
not respond to the changing reality in style and even in content. Nor did
this stagnation develop an intellectual discourse to justify why it was what
it was.

The subject matter remained entrenched in perpetuation of divine love,
village life, festivals and serene landscapes until the early 1990's. At
this juncture, one can see the rejuvenation of Sri Lankan art where art
literally moved from its perceptual stage to a more conceptual stage. This
change was rather sudden and drastic. However with time, there was a new
wave of change, at least among some young artists in the way they wanted to
express their art.

Many art works of recent times have ceased to represent external or internal
reality and have become the focal point of their own dialogue with the
viewer. Thus, the relationship between the art product and the art
appreciation have become interdependent and interact closely to maximise the
aesthetic effect of the art product. The viewer performs the task of
unraveling the relationship between image- viewer- context.  This form of
art requires the active participation of the viewer for the completion of
the aesthetic experience. In view of the forgone argument we begin to wonder
whether the Modernist art practice in Sri Lanka has exhausted itself, so as
to become acadamised and redundant? It appears so. The point of departure is
clear. We could be contended in saying the Sri Lankan art has entered the
Post-Modern phase, simply meaning it has passed the stage of being primarily
Modern art (as the word Post-Modern is one of the most abused word in
critical evaluation of present day we could name this phase as 'passed
Modern!')

Ten years on since Jagath's exhibition, we are still grappling with the idea
of conceptual art and Post-Modernism. But are we as stagnant as our
predecessors who churned out conceptual motifs? Certainly not. During the
past ten years we have seen tremendous enthusiasm and activity in the art
scene.

Almost any material we come across in our day-to-day life from kitchen
refuse to Buddhist statuary has been used as art object, thus exploiting the
importance of context in the construction of aesthetic appreciation.
Reflection of the viewers own image to emphasize the emptiness of existence
and to place one's own image in the context of art object has been used in
exhibitions. We come across this effect again in Chandraguptha Thenuwara's
monument to commemorate Neelan Thiruchchelvam at Kynsey Road, Borella. The
Borella monument stands out as an important piece to illustrate how
conceptual ideas could effectively be transformed into public monuments.
This monument is an important public space art form of recent times.

 The effect of repeated use of forms and images which reflexively engage the
viewer into contemplation has also been used by Druvinka, Shehan Madawela,
and many others. The basic idea of using repeating images was made popular
by the 'POP' artist. However the ramifications of this idea can be seen in
art products from various parts of the world in recent times. Another
technique which has been borrowed from else where is the visualization of
verbal concept in the form of scripts in paintings has been used by many
artists and has proved to be a very effective method of communication in
visual media. We could clearly see how these techniques have assumed and
given different dimension to the work of art depending on the
socio-political context in which it is placed. These exemplifies the
importance of the context in the construction of  art work.

 Colour has been a great fascination and a challenge to the artist since
ancient times. Most contemporary artists use a limited palate for their
work. Kingsley Gunatilake and Jagath Weerasinghe have been notable
exceptions in using very bright and luminous colours with fine sense of
harmony among vibrant colours. More recently, we have seen black with its
various shades, very effectively used to espouse social and political issues
by artists like Sujith Rathnayake. Black as a colour of mystic knowledge, as
a sign of vast space, as a colour of protest, as a colour of mental power
plays a major role in contemporary paintings of Sri Lanka.

During the last decade we heard the loud and clear voice of female artists
in 'Reclaiming Histories - a Retrospective Exhibition of Women's Art
organized by Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts (VAFA) and Women in Visual Arts
(WIVA), March 2000. Though this exhibition did not follow a lineage as
regards to a school of thought or any stylistic inclinations, it should be
regarded as an important exhibition which brought art works of female
artists in Sri Lanka under one roof for the first time. Visualization of
feminist issues has been a new trend in Sri Lankan art in the last decade.
Artists such as Anoli Perera, Muditha Askin, Nilanthi, XY have emerged as
important feminist artists in Sri Lanka today. Painting has become one of
the most powerful and extensively used mediums to present feminist issues.

Sri Lankan art has been dominated by images and ideas which are socially
conducive and satisfy society's expectations. Sacred images were only meant
for veneration and adoration, comments on religious things were regarded as
sins. Beliefs and certain intimate fantasies were regarded as personal and
not suitable for public display. The public display of privately held
beliefs and secrets has become its own political pressure point in the past
few years. Works of artists like Anoli Perera and Bandu have exemplified
this trend.

 Muhanned Cader is an important artist who has worked in uncompromising
style which logically questions the accepted norms of Modern art. His simple
forms and colours take the viewer back to the basics of aesthetics. Though
he denies any theoretical ideology behind his art, he artistically questions
many presumptions in art appreciation. Cader's art unravels the politics of
Modern art. With his art education at the Chicago school of fine arts he has
infused a new way of thinking in art into discerning minds.

During the last decade, VAFA had a significant role in promoting alternative
art. The overwhelming influence of conceptual art and pop art were evident
in VAFA student exhibitions. VAFA also provided alternative space for
artists who wanted to experiment on new trends. The International Artist
Camp and the Residential Artist program has given a new dimension to the
local art scene. The International Artist Camp jointly organised by the
German Cultural Institute ,VAFA, British Council, Alliance Francaise and the
George Keyt Foundation (GKF) has been held annually since 1996. At this
camp, local artists had the unique opportunity to work with foreign artists
from different cultural backgrounds.

The role of George Keyt Foundation also merits mention as an important art
institution which has worked towards promoting arts in Sri Lanka during the
last decade. GKF has provided a platform for many out station artists and
beginning amateurs to exhibit in Colombo and gain confidence in showing
their work. Many important contemporary artist have exhibited initially at
GKF exhibitions. GKF has also contributed towards widening the art market in
Sri Lanka.

 Art Galleries have made a great impact on art exhibions and on the art
market. The BareFoot Gallery, Paradise Roads Galleries, Serendib Gallery and
Heritage Gallery have contributed significantly to sharpen the appreciation
of art by promoting exhibitions. These galleries have given the artist the
confidence to view their art as commercially valuable product and to pursue
their passion.

Sri Lankan art during the last decade has mainly remained a gallery-oriented
art. The boundaries of the gallery have always been respected even by the
most radical artist. Our art production has largely remained  a
market-oriented activity. During the last 2-3 years we are witnessing a new
wave in the art scene. With installations becoming an important medium of
expression of many young artists and with few performances at exhibitions,
the activities within Sri Lanka's art scene seems to be taking a new dimension.

Installations may be understood as an outgrowth of painting, sculpture,
constructivism , use of found object in art and a fractured sense of
aesthetics which has been the hallmark of the past decade. In our context,
installations appear as a deliberate attempt by the artist to move away from
the past and it could be regarded as born out of stylistic satiation with
the images of Modernism. The height of Modernism has forced the artist to
rethink and make amends to the hitherto followed ideological presumptions.
Installation is in a way an artistic argument to uphold the social character
of art, denying egocentrism and commercialisation of art.

Installation is an attempt by the artist to communicate with the viewer by
constructing a situation by using various objects. Installations have been
made using carcasses of dead animals and live beings. Installations do not
always communicate uniformly, and the use of diverse elements frequently
challenges the artist and the viewer. The installations may be site specific
and may arise as a response to environmental stimulus, as in the case of
many installations made at the Lunuganga Artist in Residence Program. Often
installations are made of fragile objects which erode with time.
Installations emphasize the importance of concept or idea in art. In the
uncertain nature of our existence, installations appear to be the ideal art
form, for it lacks definition, appears politically ambivalent, defies rigid
structure and often crosses boundaries. Installation art in Sri Lanka could
be said to have been born of political and stylistic exigencies.

Powerful installations have been made of feminist issues, political issues
and personal ideology . Installations by Bandu Manamperi at the Institute of
Aesthetic Studies (IAS) exhibition - July 2000, Pradeep Chandrasiri's
installation at the 'No Order' (NO) group exhibition in 1999 and Anoli
Perera's installation at the international artist camp exhibition of 1998
could be regarded as remarkable manifestations of installation art in Sri
Lanka. Installations in our context mark the exhaustion of Modernist idioms
and innovations calling for a new level of sensibility in art.
'Installational ideas' have been extended even into public space monuments.
Recently, Jagath Weerasinghe's 'Shrine of the innocents' and Chandraguptha
Thenuwara's monument for the disappeared are manifestations of this
trend.(Though these 'monuments' are part of a narrow political agenda of
their sponsors, they merit mentioning.)

The other important developments in the last decade were within performance
art. Performance art has made a tentative beginning in Sri Lanka.
Performance art is a live work by an artist, which transforms conceptual
thought into perceptual action. Performance art is very radical in nature,
and forms the platform for experimentation of fusion art forms. Performance
art may be ritualistic, theatrical, musical, dance or autobiographical in
its form. Live action and provocation are the basic essence of performance
art. Performance art does not concentrate exclusively on one theme or issue
or mode of expression, it defines itself in each instance by being
provocative towards its audience. Action has been the basic ingredient of
many art forms may it be theater , music, painting or sculpture. Action
painting and kinetic sculptures are the recent memorable manifestations of
Action in art during the height of Modernism. Performance art epitomizes and
celebrates the place of Action in contemporary art . Performance art
illustrates the importance of body and mind as the ultimate source of
creative activity just as it also exhibits the creative energy of an artist
ceasing to exist at the moment when the performance is over. Thus, defying
the egocentrism and commercialisation of creative activity. Sri Lankan art
scene needs more experimentation with installations and performance art.

There are some new efforts in the art scene recently to take Sri Lankan art
forwards into experimenting with new ideas in art. The 'artlink'
International artist camp is to change its emphasis from conventional art
forms to digital art. In this years camp the artlink organising committee is
encouraging the participating artist to experiment on digital art by
inviting foreign artist with documented interest in digital art. This gives
an opportunity to the local artist who whish to investigate the
possibilities of digital technology in art to experiment and to learn from
the foreign artist about this new medium.

Another important development in recent times is the formation of 'Theertha
International Association'. TIA is an artiat lead organisation to promote
new ideas in art. The first project of the TIA would be to organise an
international artist camp designed to encourage performance art and to
experiment on the possible interactions between different art forms.
Accordingly the participants will be drawn  from visual artists, dancers,
musicians, and dramatists.

 At present with the boundaries of art forms becoming increasingly blurred
in the art world at large, it is necessary to bridge the conventional divide
that exists within the different art forms or atleast to create a space to
experiment on possible interactions between different art forms in the local
art practice. TIA hopes to provide a larger space for artists in the visual
art and performance based art to work together and enrich each others art
practices.
These new initiatives in the contemporary art scene is likely to open up new
avenues for experiment.