Arts

'With The Other'

By Risidra Mendis 

An art exhibition with a difference is the best way to describe 'With The Other.' The exhibition of visual arts by undergraduates of the Institute of Aesthetic Studies (IAS) will include paintings of Prasad Weerasinghe, Asanga Senaratne, Kosala Piyum Kumara, Sathsara Illangasinghe, Ruwan Upasena, Susil Senanayake, Prageeth Manohansa and Amitha Panideniya.

"Diverse opinions have taken place in the field of visual arts, both in the past and the present. Our work reflects the involvement with these changes in respect of our thinking. 'With The Other' is a product of this involvement," says Kumara.

According to Kumara, their work does not reflect partiality to any particular school of thought. "We have executed these artistic creations through mediums familiar to us," he said.

Taking a look at their paintings, it is evident the six artists paint with a difference. A look at their paintings and one cannot help but notice the difference between the bright colours and dull hues used by the artists.

Weerasinghe, Senaratne, Kumara, Ilangasinghe, Upasena, Senanayake, Manohansa and Panideniya paint not because they feel they should. They paint with the intention of making art lovers aware of the rapid changes taking place in the field of visual arts.

'With The Other' is expected to attract many an art lover, especially those who want to see this rapid change in visual arts that only these six artists seem to be able to explain through their paintings.

The exhibition will be held at the National Art Gallery on December 16, from 6 p.m. onwards and on December 17, 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Christmas with AIS

The staff and students of Asian International  School are having a 'Christmas Revue' at the Bishop's College Auditorium on December 15 to 17, with a promise of something for everyone.

In keeping with the Christmas spirit, the entertainment will include carols from the senior and junior choirs, percussion from the juniors, a nativity playlet from the primary students, a skit from the seniors, and sounds of the season from the orchestra, to name but a few of the exciting items on the programme.

Jazz dancing, oriental dancing and a couple of modern fusion dances will be interspersed with the choral performance.

From the tiny tots (making their stage debut) to the out-going sixth formers, AIS comes together for a not-to-be-missed evening of celebration and joy.

Christmas will not be Christmas without a pantomime, and the staff of AIS (turned actors par excellence!) will perform as the evening culminates in a riotous uproar of Santa On Strike!

This Asian International School 'family affair' will be a jubilant and pulsating way of celebrating yet another fulfilling year's end.

Tickets are available at Bishop's College Auditorium.

Opening for upcoming artists

Sharika Galleries, the gallery of contempo rary art and sculpture will open this Decem ber at the Colombo Plaza. Senaka Senanayake, one of Sri Lanka's most prominent artists, under whose auspices the gallery will function, has taken the initiative to open this gallery to predominantly promote local artists as well as developing the local art market. Senaka has been exhibiting internationally for over 46 years and has worked at promoting other Sri Lankan artists for the past 25 years.

The new 3,000-square-foot museum style commercial gallery will hold the finest cross section of work ranging from modern to contemporary Sri Lankan art, many of which are exclusive to the gallery. The gallery will provide sculptors , painters and emerging young artists with the space and exposure to place their art in today's contemporary corporate and domestic environments.

"The creativity and determination of the new wave of artists, wishing to be exposed and accepted by the world market motivates us," said Senanayake.

The gallery will also feature a number of renowned international artists from the Asia-Pacific region. "We like to characterise the gallery and its ever changing collections as extraordinarily diverse and constantly inviting fresh and vibrant new artists to express themselves," he further said.

Gary Oilver to perform in Colombo

The Colombo Plaza will play host to the one of the region's most versatile DJs, Gary Oliver. This is the second international act for the season by the Colombo Plaza Hotel, which is fast becoming a hub for a lot of exciting activities this season. Gary's biggest aim is to bring the world closer through music. And like a chameleon he effortlessly switches through different genres of music - between retro, rock `n' roll, ballads, funk `n' blues, soft rock, hip hop, salsa and new age music. Gary Oliver has done it all over Asia. Gary is in Colombo to perform at the Colombo Plaza for 15 days, from December 10 to 23.

Ahasin Wetunu Minisun

R.R. Samara- kone with three plays to his credit has gained wide critical recognition as a dramatist of outstanding talent. Samarakone wrote and produced his first play Ledak Nethi Ledek in 1968. His second play, Charita Dekak was staged in 1969. However Samarakone's third play, Ahasin Wetunu Minissu staged in1971 bagged the awards for the best original script and production at the last drama festival organised by the Cultural Affairs Department.

Ahasin Wetunu Minissu is without doubt the author's most satisfying play to date. The play deals with the tensions and problems of the socially oppressed and the downtrodden. The play will be staged on December 17 at the Elphinstone Theatre at 6.30 p.m.

X'mas happenings

From purple poinsettias to pink ones, all the way to black and white,  Tamara Davidson has it all. This Christmas, green and red is definitely taking a backseat.

Moving away from the traditional colours of Christmas, this season Davidson's Christmas designs revolve around a modern and daring theme.

The purple and pink designs scream for attention and manage to keep it, while the black and white designs, which feature just a hint of red, are very stylish and will undoubtedly bring that extra touch of elegance to any home.

Explaining the rationale behind her daring and different designs Davidson said "I thought I'll do something different for a change."

Tamara also does traditional Christmas d‚cor if needed, according to her customers' requests.

When Christmas is approaching, life becomes very hectic for Davidson. What with all the orders for cake and curtains, decorations and such, there's almost no time to rest.

One thing however remains constant; whatever Davidson decides to do, she ensures it is done to perfection.

Over the years, Davidson has also done the d‚cor for many corporate occasions and weddings (both church and reception) and has made a name for herself with her unique creations.

Davidson is a self taught artiste - it's all thanks to her creativity and the talent she has been blessed with - along with a very helpful and supportive husband, Neville Davidson!

Davidson's Christmas decorations will be on sale at St. Joseph's Church, Ratmalana today (December 12).

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In keeping with the festive season, a range of unusual and creative Christmas decor, gift items, cards, cushion covers, gift boxes, towels and soft toys by Kanthi Weragama will be available.

"A wide variety of beads, fabric paint, ribbon and other raw materials for those of you who want to make your own Christmas gifts, and Christmas cake, wines and puddings will also be on sale," says Weragama.

The sale will be held at the J.R. Jayewardene Centre on December 16, 17 and 18.

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Rui, an 18 year old fashion house from Mumbai and Bangalore, comes to Co-lombo for the first time as an exclusive show.

Rui's line of clothing includes vibrant block prints with delicate hand and machine embroidery on cotton, exquisite zardozi work on silk crepes and georgettes and a stunning line of kurtas and ponchos.

The exhibition will be held on December 17 and 18, at Layards Road, Colombo 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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The Proclaim Concert was held on December 3 at the Ceylon Bible Society Auditorium to a full house. A team of 16 young people working together performed at the concert to launch their first CD - a collection of Christmas carols with a new twist. As the CD cover says, Christmas Sung Like We Do Today. The funds from this concert and CD will be used for their outreach programmes through the medium of music.

The Proclaim Team worked hard for three months to compile the CD. The idea of releasing a CD was the vision of Rukshan Lokuge of Charles / Mark, the award-winning duo. The CD also includes an original song by Bertram Charles, the other half of the duo. Ranga Dassanayake of Hit Factory put it all together to come up with a truly professional product.The CD is available at Sponge, Back to the Bible Bookshop, The Corner Bookshop, Ceylon Bible Society, Salon Naresh and Pragna Publishers and is a must for every home this Christmas season.