Kala Pola: Street Art Sunday
Art by by Thilina Prasangika. This lady is her mum.
Any given Sunday they sell art on Greenpath (Nelum Pokuna Road), but today they had full stalls and a grand affair, sponsored by Keells I think. There were hundreds of people walking around, I saw Saskia Fernando, Dian Gomes, Ameena Hussein, etc, so people from the art and business world, plus tourists and students and parents and kids. It’s a great thing.
Stiltwalkers At The Kala Pola
Green Path (or Ananda Coomaraswamy, or Nelum Pokuna, the road name keeps changing and even now is named different things every hundred meters or so)… mmm, too long, starting over. Green Path is between the Vihara Maha Devi Park and the National Art Gallery and artists have been selling their wares there for years. Both the park and the gallery have been kinda neglected, however, and the art thing was an amateur affair. Now that they’ve opened the Nelum Pokuna performing arts center and are kinda fixing up the park, they’re doing the street stuff in a big way.
They’ve shut down Green Path for stuff in the evening, and during the day they seem to do this kala pola somewhat regularly now.
Art by Thilini Prabhath (I’m guessing at the name)
Some of the art is derivative, but some is quite interesting and original. Even the stuff which wears its influences like a knock-off Louis-Vuitton bag can be nice to have around the house. I was in the bus going past and I just got out to see.
Quite colorful circle art by Colin Girabaddana, 071 187 1930
It’s really lovely to see people in the streets, walking, talking, eating, looking at art, buying stuff. Terrorism really cramps street culture, but it’s coming back. I think it’s going on right now, I just came home for a nap. Do check it out, or check out some more photos thereof.
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The Hindu covers the Kala Pola:
Artists flock to Colombo street with myriad creations
A road side full of works of art is an unusual sight in Colombo. Hundreds of young painters and sculptors artists from across the country get a chance to exhibit their works in the city, and, possibly get propelled into the higher orbits.
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/art/article2842677.ece?homepage=true