ArtReview | A History of Experimental Photography in Sri Lanka
April 3, 2024 Pivot Glide Echo at Lionel Wendt Art Centre, Colombo unravels an open and multiethnic vision of the island’s identity Artist, critic, curator, collector, pianist and patron Lionel Wendt pioneered experimental photography in early-twentieth-century Sri Lanka, founding the island’s modernist art movement, the 43 Group, a year before his death in 1944. Wendt […]
STIRworld | KALĀ: ‘Pivot, Glide, and Echo’ with Lionel Wendt and his legacy
February 29, 2024 Curated by Maryam Begum, ‘KALA’ in Colombo celebrates the art from the Sri Lankan region and wider South Asia aiming to foster a more inclusive art community. The landscape of arts and culture in Sri Lanka is facing a boost after three years of difficulties caused by the pandemic and a political […]
The Sunday Times | Image making re-imagined, interpreted and challenged
February 4, 2024 Stepping into Pivot Glide Echo – the inaugural exhibition of KALA – the new platform for showcasing South Asian modern and contemporary art both from the local and diasporic perspectives you are transported into a world of image-making. Image making re-imagined, interpreted, and challenged. KALA is now on at the Lionel Wendt […]
FT Daily | ‘Pivot Glide Echo’; a display of South Asian ‘KALA’ at Lionel Wendt
February 2, 2024 Speaking on the curatorial process of the exhibition, Begum explained, “Since we are working with the Lionel Wendt Art Centre and his work as the catalyst, we started with the archive of his work which was made accessible to us through the Wendt Trust. Going through it, we focused on whatever we […]
Explore Sri Lanka | KALĀ: Celebrating Art Meaningfully
February 1, 2024 It is a much-needed art renaissance for our times. And the month-long line-up of programs isn’t disappointing. KALĀ embarks on its inaugural journey as an ambitious collaborative project with the Lionel Wendt Art Center. A project with a long-term vision, KALĀ is the newest educational and artistic platform for showcasing modern and […]
KALĀ x ASAP: Word and Image – Contemporary Art Practices and the Written Word
February 12, 2024 Word and Image: Contemporary Art Practices and the Written Word, conducted by artists Fazal Rizvi and Anshika Varma, assisted artists in the South Asian region to establsih an understanding on the relationship between text and image, based on experiences from their own practice. who want to harness the power of language in […]
KALĀ x ASAP: Friends and Relations: The ‘43 Group
February 12, 2024 Shamil Wanigaratne, Author and Clinical Psychologist, Esmerelda Claessen, Writer and daughter of 43’ Group founding artist George Claessen, and Rohan de Soysa, Chairman of the Sapumal Foundation, discuss the importance of the 43 Group in South Asian art history and their personal experiences in relation to the group The ’43 Group, led […]
KALĀ x ASAP: Funding and Development in the Arts
February 12, 2024 Rummana Naqvi, Director of Development of Whitechapel Gallery and Stefan Winker, Director of Goethe Institut, Sri Lanka, discuss the process of funding and development within institutions Development and funding are crucial for the continuity of not-for-profit institutions. The arts sector, in particular, faces challenges in securing funding within South Asian countries, as […]
The Sunday Times | KALĀ: Celebrating modern Lankan art
January 21, 2024 Kala is the Sanskrit word meaning performing art or skilled craft. Chosen as a name to represent the evolving and encompassing practices of South Asia’s modern and contemporary artists, KALA is South Asia’s newest educational and artistic platform, inspired by the diverse culture and modern art history of Sri Lanka. ‘Pivot Glide […]
FT Daily | KALĀ together with Lionel Wendt Art Centre to open with inaugural exhibition ‘Pivot Glide Echo’
January 19, 2024 ‘Pivot Glide Echo’ is the platform’s inaugural exhibition of artists spanning eight decades, curated by KALĀ Assistant Curator Mariyam Begum under the guidance of KALÃ Curatorial Advisor Sandhini Poddar, Adjunct Curator at Large of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. With celebrated Sri Lankan photographer Lionel Wendt serving as a catalyst, the exhibition delves […]