An exhibition of art named “Seven Plus One” had its preview in the evening on Monday, July 23 at the Lionel Wendt Gallery. The name “Seven plus One” derives from the fact that it is an exhibition by seven instructors of the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts, or VAFA as it is commonly referred to, plus an artist who is there by invitation. It is in celebration of the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts completing 25 years in the field of visual arts education as an independent art school. The exhibition will continue till Tuesday July 31, and the Gallery will remain open to the general public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A couple of hours later on the same day, July 23- another exhibition, this time a solo exhibition, by Vibhavi’s founder Chandragupta Thenuwara titled “Executive Demon and other works” had its preview at Saskia Fernando Gallery. This second exhibition is expected to continue for some time.
It all began in 1993. Chandragupta Thenuwara, a graduate of the Institute for Aesthetic Studies (Now the University of Visual and Performing Arts) had gone for higher studies to the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow.
The Surikov Art Institute was formed in the 20th century when art and architecture separated from what had been the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, an academy which had in the 19th century, competed with the Russian Academy of Arts (also called the St Petersburg Academy of Arts) as Russia’s biggest art academy. Thus, the Surikov Art Institute had an impressive lineup of graduates which included the likes of Isaac Levitan , Russia’s celebrated landscape master and master of the “mood” landscape, and Vasily Perov, a founding member of the Russian Realist School termed, “Peredvizhniki” or “Itinerants”.
Having undergone the rigorous academic training in Russia, Thenuwara returned to form an academy, Vibhavi, that reflected the rigorousness that he himself had experienced. That was Vibhavi’s start. One could say, Vibhavi plays roles like the one played by the Académie Julian in France.
VAFA, which had since its inception been located in several places in the vicinity of Kotte is now in the process of building their own facilities at Athurugiriya.
The current instructors exhibiting and forming the “Seven” parts are Chandragupta Thenuwara, Kingsley Goonatilake, Karunasiri Wijesinghe, Muhanned Cader, Monty Senerath Colombage, Kusal Gunasekera and Sameera Kalupahana. By invitation, as guest artist Japanese photographer Koki Nishida, forms the “plus One” part. All are practising artists. Koki Nishida is currently teaching at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo.
All of the artists that form the seven are well-known names in art circles and need little introduction.
Sameera Kalupahana is unique in that he is the only artist in this line up who has had his entire formal education in art at the Vibhavi (VAFA).
His proficiency stands as testimony to the rigorousness and quality of the teaching at VAFA. In the exhibition, Thenuwara’s signature camouflaged barrels- a reminder of his “barrelism”days stand in the middle surrounded by the works of others: Karunasiri Wijesinghe’s exquisite line drawings, some paintings by Monty Senerath Colombage who is better known as a sculptor, works by Muhanned Cader, Kingsley Goonatilake and Kusal Goonasekera which defy our attempts to describe.
Sameera Kalupahana’s watercolors with their fluid brushwork and Koki Nishida’s unique photographs taken through rain-spattered glass round up the imagery.
Thenuwara’s second exhibition running tandem to this at Saskia Fernando Gallery “Executive Demon and other works” is the artist’s expression of the current socio-political atmosphere.
It is the current phase of the line of ideas which started with Barellism and went off to develop as Camouflage, Neo-Barellism, Dhammapada, Post Barellism, Beautification, Electric Chair for Sale and the one before this-Glitch.