In conversation with Anura Ratnavibhushana Intersecting art and architecture is a seminal characteristic of Ismeth Raheem’s multidisciplinary work as an Architect, Art Historian and Artist. When approaching his portfolio of works, it became clear that his practice at Edwards, Reid and Begg as a draughtsman and architectural assistant under Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrik Plesner in…
By Azara Jaleel “Call me an hour before you come my dear, you never know if l’d be standing here alive” Laki would say, every time he invited me over to Diyabubula; his abode amidst the forest, atleast eight years before his passing in 2021. That was Laki, wickedly humorous, and generous to a fault…
By David Robson together with C. Anjalendran Beginnings Laki Senanayake was born in 1937, the seventh of the eight children of Reginald and Florence Senanayake. Both his parents were active in left-wing politics and campaigned for workers’ rights. Reginald was a planter and a founder member of the Marxist Lanka Sama Samajist Party (LSSP). In…
In Conversation with Michael Meyler Michael Meyler at ARTRA Magazine’s Launch of the Laki Senanayake Edition & Art Experiential Festival ‘Laki’s Currency Notes of the Late 1970’s’ in conversation with Azara Jaleel at Jetwing Lighthouse on the morning of the 5th of March, 2023 In 1976, Laki Senanayake was approached by the Governor of the…
Peshala Premathilaka Born in 1994, Peshala Premathilaka, at age 29, has accomplished impressive heights in her artwork. Even before graduating from the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo, in 2019, Peshala had already earned international recognition. In 2015 she was a part of the ‘Imongo Mumbai International Art Exhibition’ in San Giorgio, Venice,…
A thought piece by Ismeth Raheem Ismeth Raheem at ARTRA Magazine’s Launch of the Laki Senanayake Edition & Art Experiential Festival ‘Laki’s Artistic Expressions & Influences’; An intimate tour of the iconic handrail of Jetwing Lighthouse by Laki Senanayake on the afternoon of the 5th of March, 2023 Laki was among the most intelligent of…
By Azara Jaleel In a Shakespearean play the court’s clown or the jester is given the license to speak the truth in a context where no one else dares not, critiquing the characters and their actions for the benefit of the audience. Humour has been a potent tool to reveal truths unabashedly by artists on…
By David Robson Photograph taken by Rohan de Soysa at Brief Garden. Delini Raheem tells of the time when she and her mother bumped into Bevis Bawa in the Samudra Restaurant on Galle Face and her mother introduced him as ‘Geoffrey’s brother’. Bevis towered over them and bowed with a sad smile: “Madam, in those…
Azara Jaleel Aubrey Collette, 1987, Lionel Wendt, Taprobane Collection “The powers of observation which go to the makings of these drawings are all the more remarkable in that they are done ‘off the cuff’ ”stated critic Jayanta Padmaha, in his review of Aubrey Collette’s exhibition ‘1954 Faces’ published in the Ceylon Observer on the 31st…
Interview with Gihan de Chickera Though political cartoons are a symptom of an older era of print journalism, their enduring relevance today could be attributed to the distinct niche they hold within the genre. Political cartoons have the simultaneous ability to critique and amuse, and thus balance comic tones with arresting poignancy. It is an…
In Conversation with Nalaka Gunawardene Political cartoons in the contemporary have adapted from their nascent forms within the traditional columns of print journalism. Variants—from social media posts to protest signs—continue to endure in the contemporary context through the growing relevancy of social criticism as a means of accountability, especially from the public domain towards institutional…
In Conversation with Cresside Collette Famed for his iconic affiliation with the ‘43 Group, Aubrey Collette was a remarkable caricature artist whose works danced the delicate lines between comic and critical, which brought to light the socio-political intricacies underlying Sri Lanka’s prominent societal figures in the early to mid-1900s. His politically forward cartoons—the very same he…
In Conversation with Antonia Laurence Allen Image courtesy Susan Torkington The photograph of the pearl fishery marine biology laboratory captured in 1902 by James Hornell, the marine biologist who had conducted research on the pearl oysters in that very space, was situated in Galle Fort. From a macro perspective, the laboratory highlights the largely undiscerned…
By Azara Jaleel Tayeba Lipi, 2019, Mirror, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York City The human body is a social site, as much as it is a biological organism. It is both personal and public, which consciously, and at times unconsciously, participates in transmitting multiplex of meanings to us as spectators. The curated works of Ali…
In Conversation with Ali Kazim Constructing intersections between the past and present, art poignantly reflects the cultural, technological, and political transcendence of ever-evolving landscapes. In ARTRA Magazine’s South Asian Contemporary Art Edition, we conversed with featured artist Ali Kazim (Pakistan), whose timeless works of art are amidst seminal public collections of global repute, including the…
In Conversation with Tayeba Begum Lipi For ARTRA Magazine’s South Asian Contemporary Art Edition 68, we conversed with featured contemporary artist Tayeba Begum Lipi (Bangladesh) about her poignant oeuvre of works, especially in sculpture which are in seminal public collections such as the Tate Modern UK, Solomon R. Guggenheim NYC, and the Royal Ontario Museum…
In Conversation with Anoli Perera Traditional forms, techniques, and craft are rich inheritances that push forward the stories of familial legacies across generations in South Asia, in particular. Artist Anoli Perera sat down with us for ARTRA Magazine’s South Asian Contemporary Art Edition 68, to discuss the liberating essence of her textile practice, enriched by…