Art Alive Gallery presents "Paradise Lost?" an exhibition of paintings by Sri Lankan artist Senaka Senanayake at Art Alive Gallery, S-221, Panchsheel Park - 7th to 26th December 2009

Time : 
4th December : 7:30 pm - Preview
7th to 26th December : 11:00 am - 7:00 pm  - Exhibition on View

Entry : Free

Venues : 
4th December : The Taj Mahal Hotel, Number One Mansingh Road, New Delhi - 110011
Website : www.tajhotels.com
Map : The Taj Mahal Hotel at Google Maps
7th to 26th December : Art Alive Gallery, S-221, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi

Event Details : Art Alive Gallery and the Taj Mahal Hotel presents the recent works of internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan artist Senaka Senanayake at a nature inspired show featuring a  prolific repertoire of his  works. The show will be held in conjunction with the United Nations Climate Change Conference hosted from December the 7th till 18th in Copenhagen .Against this backdrop Senaka’s visual rendition of a green garden lost acquire far greater dimensions. An artist who achieved acclaim straight from the early days of his childhood for his prodigious talent, Senaka brings forth a recent series of works which celebrate the lush, abundant vegetation and the beauty found in the earthly paradise in the tropical forest of Sri Lanka.
As an artist committed to social causes, Senaka is presently engaged with various environmental issues, chief among which is the preservation of the natural rainforests. This sense of epiphany was born March 2005 when the artist visited a rainforest in southern Sri Lanka. Since then Senaka has dedicated himself towards mobilizing support around the world for the protection of these rainforests. Clearly therefore, the preservation of nature is a subject dear to his heart, and these causes find their voice in his art which manipulate the imaginative idiom of the viewers to speak of matters beyond those of the mere visual. The paintings which are rendered in oil, his chosen medium for expression, are thus imbued with a freshness and optimism which is at once surreal and transcendental in reach. The works are markedly stylized and draw their influence form the Buddhist paintings of Sri Lanka. His fervent and deep love for colour is reflected in the vibrant and daring use of many pure tones to meticulously render the breath taking reach of the flora and fauna of his country.
This series of works however, seeks to awaken the audience to the very real damages incurred by our environment today. As the title of the show Paradise Lost? indicates, all of us as inhabitants of this planet owe a sense of responsibility to preserving and in turn nourishing the natural environment which forms such a crucial part of our existence. And if should turn away from that, we shall only end up losing this perfect amalgamation of various life forms which gives our planet the paradisiacal beauty, that we have taken for granted so thoughtlessly.  Senaka tries to direct his work particularly towards the younger generation as he feels that they are the ones who can truly herald a change in the present feeling of disregard for the environment. If we can manage to open their eyes to the havoc wrecked on our natural environment, feels the artist, then we can work towards creating a greater understanding of the ways through which we could put a stop to it as well.  The arch of Senaka’s works therefore points towards a very pertinent and pressing concern of our times, one that requires a proactive and an honest engagement to put right that which has been disregarded for so long.

About the Artist : Senaka is a graduate from Yale University, and held his first solo exhibition at the age of eight. His list of international exhibitions and one man shows are too numerous to be listed in a few brief words. He has held shows in all the major countries of the Europe, China, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Czechoslovakia, Korea and Egypt to name a few.  His works find a place of honour in important places like United Nations Building in New York, the White House and the National Geographic Building in Washington DC, the FAO headquarters in Rome, the International Post Office in Berne, the Berlin State Museum, the Lidice Museum and in several art institutions and in various international collections.


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