Under the artistic direction of Natasha Ginwala, the recent Colomboscope showed how the Sri Lankan art festival has swiftly become a must-visit not just for aficionados of South Asian art, but for collectors globally seeking to channel exciting new art world perspectives from a region whose global significance is rising.
Natasha Ginwala, artistic director. Photo by Victoria Tomaschko
Across venues throughout Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, curators Hit Man Gurung, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, and Sarker Protick choreographed events and showcased the work of 40 eminent artists from Sri Lanka and the Global South, all themed around ‘Way of the Forest’.
Zihan Karim, EYE (।), 2015, Video projection on installation. Photo by Fiona Cheng
Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF), as one of the festival’s lead patrons and cultural partners, supported four artists from Bangladesh to participate: Soma Surovi Jannat; Md Rakibul Anwar; Zihan Karim; Jayatu Chakma. There was a strong theme of sustainability and regeneration in their works.
Soma Surovi Jannat, artist.
Rakibul Anwar, artist.
Zihan Karim, artist.
Jayatu Chakma, artist.
‘Urbanisation is accelerating deforestation, which removes the potential for forests to absorb carbon and put a brake on global warming. This creates political, economic and societal crises for people and harms our planet,’ says DBF’s founder, Durjoy Rahman.
The Way of the Forest Poster
It was an intriguing way to see how art is leading the challenge against post-colonial legacies and bearing witness to the effects of climate change.
See more: https://www.colomboscope.lk/
Online Editor: Isabel Phillips
