ARTRA Experientials 26 June 2025 | Colombo Edition
Where are the women artists in Sri Lankan art history? ARTRA Magazine’s highly anticipated edition ‘Women & Modernism’ 69 sets out to explore this pivotal question, with a focus on the Modernist period in Sri Lanka during the 1900s. Launching later this month on Thursday, 26 June 2025, in S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia at 6.30pm, the forthcoming edition explores Sri Lankan women artists who practiced in the early to mid 1900s in Sri Lanka with particular attention to Nalini Jayasuriya and Swanee Jayawardene. These two artists were among eleven women who exhibited with the ‘43 Group between 1943 and 1967. This edition delves into their lives and artistic practices, highlighting their significance within the modernist movement in Sri Lanka, while addressing the larger historical neglect and obscurity surrounding a lost generation of women artists whose contributions have been underrepresented in the literature of their time.
The curated works displayed in this edition of ARTRA Magazine showcases the stunning works of Swanee Jayawardene (1930 – 2010) and Nalini Jayasuriya (1927 – 2014) who practiced as young artists in the mid-1900s, and were both invited into the fold of the prestigious ‘43 Group, Sri Lanka’s foremost Modernist Collective, to exhibit alongside them in 1955. Sourced from a series of private and public collections, the vibrant paintings of Jayawardene and Jayasuriya compel in their dichotomous portrayal of femininity. While Jayawardene’s work posits an alternative woman, one marked by dark tones, erratic brushwork and brimming with emotion, Jayasuriya’s woman is framed by the divine feminine incarnate. Most often represented by her image of the Virgin Mary, Jayasuriya explores a much more serene and peaceful counterpart to Jayawardene’s unstable woman, marked by her softer colour palette and spiritual communes with nature.
One of the featured artists of the edition, Swanee Jayawardene (1930 – 2010) was an artist and art educator. Having pursued her formal art training under the pivotal art educator Cora Abraham through the Melbourne Art Classes, the artist gained recognition when she was invited to exhibit with the ‘43 Group in 1955. Jayawardene’s painting style lent itself to a range of influences illustrating Cubist aesthetics through vibrant colours and abstract geometries, while openly embracing bold, dark and macabre subjects. As an art educator, she was a teacher at Bishop’s College, Colombo for almost 20 years and was instrumental in introducing batik as a medium into the public art education sphere.
Launching the forthcoming edition of ARTRA Magazine at S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia is made all the more significant by Nalini Jayasuriya’s historic involvement in the art education of the institution. Nalini Jayasuriya (1927 – 2014) whose works are juxtaposed with Jayawardene’s works across this edition, was the art teacher at S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, before moving to London to be an English as a Second Language teacher. Launching this edition at the school where she once taught, transforms the segment into an opportunity to celebrate her wider legacy, and to acknowledge the roots of her artistic journey. She was invited to exhibit with the ‘43 Group in 1955, the same year as Jayawardene. During her time in London, Jayasuriya began developing her artistic sensibilities further, experimenting with stained-glass techniques and enamel on metal. Her discursive style, signified through vibrant compositions and fluid brushstrokes, often conveyed her distinct fusion of Eastern and Western spirituality.
‘Women & Modernism’ Volume I marks the inaugural edition of a future series of volumes on the subject, tackling the wider knowledge gap regarding the life and works of the women artists of the early to mid 1900s in Sri Lanka. The significance of this edition lies in its bold reclamation of a forgotten narrative within Sri Lanka’s artistic canon. By centering the contributions of Nalini Jayasuriya and Swanee Jayawardene, this edition not only repositions their work within the framework of Sri Lankan modernism, but also interrogates the gendered omissions that have long shaped our national art history. Through critical essays and visual analyses, the edition challenges dominant narratives that have historically privileged male voices, offering instead a more inclusive and representative account of artistic innovation during the early to mid 1900s. In doing so, it opens vital pathways for re-evaluating the legacy of women artists in Sri Lanka and affirms the importance of gender equity in both historical recognition and contemporary discourse.
Launching on Thursday, 26th June 2025 at S. Thomas’ College at 6.30pm, the forthcoming edition will be launched alongside ARTRA’s Art Experientials taking place that week, until Sunday, 29th June. On Saturday 28th June and Sunday, 29th June, ARTRA will be presenting a series of Art Exhibitions and Artist Walks within the intimate setting of a private collector’s home on 28th Lane, Flower Road, Colombo 07. With a total of 6 exhibitions, these curated exhibits will feature emerging and established artists from Sri Lanka, including new work by ARTRA’s Emerging Artists | Best of 2022 – 2025. Featuring the works of Rajani Serasinghe, Malki Jayakody, K. Mathiskumar, Mohamed Hathi, Kesara Ratnavibhushana and Venura Madurapperuma, the exhibitions will display a wide range of disciplines, from woodcut print, paintings and mixed-media to photography.
In amplifying the voices of Nalini Jayasuriya and Swanee Jayawardene, ARTRA Magazine’s forthcoming Women & Modernism Volume I initiates a long-overdue re-examination of Sri Lanka’s modernist art history through a gendered lens. This edition of ARTRA Magazine not only repositions the women artists who practiced in the mid to early 1900s within the national narrative but also catalyzes a broader, necessary shift toward recognizing the vital roles that women have played in shaping the country’s artistic identity. By combining historical inquiry with powerful visual storytelling, this inaugural volume lays the foundation for a series that promises to bridge historical silences and celebrate the multiplicity of artistic expression.
For art queries, including art exhibitions and the Launch of ARTRA Magazine’s Women & Modernism Edition & ARTRA Experientials | Colombo Edition, contact +94 77 570 1891
