(Catalog essay by William Wearing for the exhibition 'Contemporary Sri Lankan Art: Selected Works of  Ten Artists')

The new art of Sri Lanka plays a prominent role in that sorely tested land's development. In the post-colonial period, afflicted by ethnic and social conflicts, there innovative artists' whole hearted engagement for peace and reconciliation has been an integrating force and opinion builder. In opposition to the long dessolative civil war, they have, through individual artworks, contributions o the cultural and social debate and their participation in the Theertha International Artists' Collective, devoted their artistry to the island's integration and social justice for all.

Theertha has even established a widespread artist network and cultural exchange with countires in South and East Asia as well as Europe that have resulted in mutual workshop exchanges with, amongst other, Japan, China, India, Australia, Great Britain and Germany. Recently Theertha invited three Swedish artists, Filippa Arrias, Jacob Dahlgren and Jesper Nordahl to participate in a workshop and exhibition in Colombo in collaboration with the Swedish Institute and the Museum of East Asia Antiquities.

Now Millesgarden is pleased to present a selection of works from Sri Lankan contemporary art's most influential figures, Jagath Weerasingh, Anoli Perera and Anoma Rajakaruna together with their more newly prominent innovative colleagues.

Despite the exhibition's impressive wealth of variation, certain shared affiliation are apparent amongst these Sri Lanka artists in their distinct tendency create with organic materials.  The media used by these artists reflect great variation that range from paintings, sculpture to installation art. In all of these works, they widely use charcoal, wax, earth, wheat, terracotta, timber, crochet, hair etc.  At times, these material are used in combination with the colourful mass-produced plastic and metal tingle-tangle that floods the city markets and gives expression to another dimension of the urban human environment.

The idea content of the selected art also covers a wide horizon. Even if the basic direction of the participating artists is socially committed, more personal aspects of the human condition are explored, especially in works by Anoli Perera and Jagath Weerasinghe.  Anoli Perera served as the original pathfinder in establishing contact with the Swedish Cultural scene during her first exhibition in Sweden in 1998.  Her installation, a feminist group portrait of six Sri Lankan women of varying social background, was shown throughout the country in ten cities and finishing at Stockholm's Kulturhus.

There are many individuals and institutions that have contributed to realizing this long- distance collaboration. We offer our sincere thanks to Anna- Maria Swensson, Erik Bewin and Kerstin Persson of the Swedish Institute for their continued engagement and financial support in promoting cultural exchange with Sri Lanka. We are also grateful to Lennart Hjalmarsson of Kooperation Utan Granser that has sponsored the transportation of all art works for the exhibition. We wish to thank Leif Stegenius of Lidingohem AB, for offering the hospitality of living preparations. This exhibition catalogue produced by the Theertha International Artists' Collective and printed in Sri Lanka was made possible by the goodwill of Per-Olof Hoglund of Konsumentforeningen Stockholm.

Such a thought provoking and topical exposition of contemporary art bodes well for continuing and eduuring cultural exchange with Sri Lanka.