ARTRA Magazine ‘Comics & Caricatures’ Edition features the stunning works of renowned Sri Lankan artists, cartoonists and caricaturists Aubrey Collette (1920 - 1992), Bevis Bawa (1909 - 1992) and Gihan de Chickera (b. 1978). This edition strives to explore the potential caricatures and cartoons have as an accessible alternative to traditional journalistic writing, and their potency in addressing critical socio-political issues. The launch of the Comics & Caricatures Edition, and its Art Experiential Festival | Bawa Brothers, taking place from the 13th to 15th October, will be hosted across the extravagance of Cinnamon Bentota Beach, ARTRA’s Exclusive Hospitality Partner, and Brief Garden, the Home and Garden of Bevis Bawa, ARTRA’s Exclusive Heritage Partner for this event.

ARTRA’s grandiose Art Experiential Festival | Bawa Brothers offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for art enthusiasts and aficionados to delve into the art, architecture and heritage of Bevis Bawa (1909 - 1992) and Geoffrey Bawa (1919 - 2003), the brothers that have famously revolutionised the architectural landscape of Sri Lanka in the 20th century, contributing architectural masterpieces such as Cinnamon Bentota Beach and Brief, which exist halfway between art and architecture. With a riveting and dynamic line-up of programmes across the three-day festival, the Launch and Art Experiential Festival | Bawa Brothers offers art experiences by venerated artistic personalities at the heart of Sri Lanka’s contemporary art industry, including art talks, exhibitions and tours of the exclusive landscaping, art collections and esoteric of prestigious local artists including Barbara Sansoni, Ismeth Raheem, Ena de Silva, Laki Senanayake and more. For an in-depth look at ARTRA’s Art Experiential Festival | Bawa Brothers program line-up, visit the official ARTRA website at https://www.artra.lk/visual-art/programme-of-aef-oct-2023.

In conjunction with promoting the venerated artistry of a wide range of Sri Lanka’s pioneer artists, ARTRA Magazine’s ‘Comics & Caricatures’ and its Art Experiential Festival presents a large-scale and holistic exhibition of the story of Sri Lanka through the medium of Sri Lankan modern and contemporary art. In its efforts to increase awareness of and promote Sri Lanka’s thriving contemporary art scene, ARTRA has integrated an active initiative to showcase emerging artists within the country– valiantly continuing their decade-long crusade of fostering a lush contemporary art scene in Sri Lanka, rife with artistic expression. This October, ARTRA invites Catharina Daniel and Mathis Kumar; two up-and-coming artists who are showcasing their fresh and innovative endeavours as part of ARTRA’s collection of contemporary art, on Sunday, Oct 15th, through the prestigious platform of ARTRA’s Art Experiential Festival.

Mathis Kumar

Catharina Daniel

Catharina Daniel is a Sri Lankan contemporary artist, born and raised in the Northern Province of Jaffna. Working with the mediums of water colours, ink on paper and threadwork, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Fine Art at the University of Jaffna. She has since showcased her work at several exhibitions including a group exhibition in 2018 curated by T.Shanathanan, an established contemporary artist and Senior Lecturer in Art History, Department of Fine Arts, University of Jaffna, along with Colomboscope, 2019. She explores notions of the self through her intimate and intuitive knowledge of the sea, translating her meandering consciousness of self and nature into the cognitive and spatial dimensions of a visual medium. Her works which have included the Soul Series (2022) and the Mind Series (2022) have previously encapsulated her intriguing depictions of the porosity of human consciousness and their susceptibility to the natural environment.

Kopalapillai Mathis Kumar is a Sri Lankan contemporary artist hailing from Akkaraipattu on the country’s Eastern Coast. Utilizing pigment ink and watercolour on board, oils on canvas, and mixed media, his works range from articulating his sentimental view of nature against man’s avarice to critiquing present-day disparity regarding class and wealth prejudice. After graduating from the Eastern University (SVIAS) with a Bachelor’s degree in Visual and Technological Arts in 2015, Mathis Kumar has participated in nine group art exhibitions by the ‘Non-Violent Artist Group’ which took place over the years, exhibiting their works at public spaces while also interacting with the public for community engagement via artistic expression in the Eastern & Northern Provinces. Mathis Kumar has also worked on commission for the revered C. Anjalendran’s Architecture projects including that of an Ayurvedic Spa. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Creative Painting at the University of Lucknow, India, where he is now based.

Azara Jaleel, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ARTRA Magazine extrapolates the philosophy and vision that ARTRA holds in regards to Sri Lanka’s potential regarding art tourism, citing that ARTRA offers multimodal mediums that foster greater consumption and awareness of Modern and Contemporary Art within Sri Lanka’s popular consciousness on a local, as well as international scale. The Art Experiential Festival is a generous opportunity to share the ever-evolving story of Sri Lanka, while continuing to foster ARTRA’s vision towards expanding Sri Lanka’s Art Tourism. Embarking on this exciting mission, Sri Lanka Travel and Promotions Bureau, Cinnamon Bentota Beach and Brief Garden have partnered with ARTRA through the Launch of Comics & Caricatures and its Arts Experiential Festival, to collectively work towards celebrating the work of local artists to attract the attention of cultural tourists and the support of international Sri Lankan diaspora in cultivating and strengthening Sri Lanka’s art economy. ARTRA therefore has a foremost interest in building Sri Lanka’s arsenal of cultural assets, by embellishing the pre-existing artwork of the country’s pioneer creatives, while promoting the burgeoning creative minds that will form the future of contemporary art in the nation.

Established in 2012, ARTRA is an art house that publishes Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Modern & Contemporary Art Magazine. ARTRA collaborates with leading local and international art & corporate partners to ensure the growth of the local art industry. The British Council recognized Azara Jaleel, Founder & Editor-in-Chief for contributing to Sri Lanka’s creative economy in 2021 through ARTRA in the Contemporary Art Sector & for steering the growth of an untapped industry in Sri Lanka by Echelon Cosmopolitan Magazine to name a few. Having published over 64 editions of ARTRA Magazine, the publication has transformed into a collectible for its pioneering content & unpublished works of revered artists of which ARTRA’s Comics & Caricatures Edition & Art Experiential Festival set to take place on the 13th to 15th October is its latest edition.

For Tickets and festival day passes for ARTRA’S Art Experiential Festival | Bawa Brothers on the 13th to 15th October 2023 & to pre-order your copy of the Comics & Caricatures Edition 65 call +9477 570 1891.

ARTRA Magazine’s Launch of the Comics and Caricatures Edition 65 & Art Experiential Festival | Bawa Brothers is supported by ARTRA’s partners with whom they have worked closely to bring to life this festival in all grandeur, namely the iconic Brief Garden by Bevis Bawa, French Embassy for Sri Lanka & Maldives, Nations Trust Bank Private Banking, their Exclusive Banking Partner, Cinnamon Bentota Beach, ARTRA’s Exclusive Hospitality Partner, the Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau, their Art Tourism Partner, Daily Mirror, The Sunday Times, and Daily FT of Wijeya Newspapers, their Exclusive Print Media Partners and MTV, News First, Legends, and Yes FM of The Capital Maharaja Organization Ltd, Exclusive TV & Radio Partners.

Mathis Kumar, Poverty & Prosperity, (VI), 2023