Anyone who watches The School of Life on YouTube would know how Alain de Botton is a serious proponent of art as a therapeutic medium. He talks of how art can indeed make us better lovers by teaching us patience, curiosity and generosity; and even prepare us for loneliness, old age, and unrequited love.
Allow me to just propose one example of this: Alain de Botton believes that we harbour a great deal of darkness in our hearts, which is why art gives us hope with its simple images of happiness. Consider the painting known as Usherette by Edward Hopper, which shows the usherette bathed in light yet with melancholic sadness. She is the suffering soul in a superficial world. She is us. Hopper invites us to sympathize, empathize, and indeed identify with her.
The above two paragraphs serve as a conversation starter of the subject of this 4-page spread — Crimson Spaces. Their story, which is a saturation of ups and downs, reminds me of an art space in its entirety, and how art is extremely diverse with each exhibition being quite possibly a reflection of one of the many facets of an artist’s personality, and how they seek a sense of balance and harmony in their lives.
What is rewarding in a sense is how Crimson Spaces has filled a void in the art industry — A place where established and emerging artists that fosters their artistry and brings them to the limelight. Opportunities are provided via exhibitions and internships. This is the changing face of the art industry in Sri Lanka, and Crimson Spaces is indubitably leading the pack.
Let’s talk about Kamilka Perera and Dananjaya Edirisinghe; two artists who are fronting the very first exhibition at Crimson Spaces. With so much of raw talent being sharpened and honed, one would feel that Kamilka Perera, in her paintings touches on the moods of the Garden of Eden, where Eden is treated as a life form herself, a rich tapestry on which Adam and Eve find and blossom in love. She imbibes her creations with a sense of purpose that is almost therapeutic to the spirit and soul.
We all know that art per se is an experience, and Danajaya Edirisinghe’s sculptures, which mainly focuses on pieces that embody the evil that is Satan, the glory that is God, and the purity and innocence that are the hearts of Adam and Eve. It is certainly an experience in itself. With a frown and the sun dappling his arms, what serves to be a humble panel of metal is turned into something pseudo-erotic and relatable.
Intense in personality, despite the offering of a bright sunny smile, you’d be caught unawares of his dark brooding persona as he designs, crafts and morphs whatever darkness he feels into a work of art that is either 2D or 3D.
Simple and yet crafted to perfection possibly thanks to Danajaya Edirisinghe’s experience as a doyen of handcrafted art, his workstation is a cacophony of pliers, wires, sweat, fingers, and a desire to just create.
I’ll admit as should you: we are all unhinged and missing something in life. And this is what a work of art attracts us to; in other words, we are attracted to something that we miss in life and within ourselves. This is why we have different tastes in art simply because we are missing different things.
Until the end of December, you and I are sure to witness an artistic spread of inimitable designs, which will be an Art Exhibition by Kamilka Perera and Danajaya Edirisinghe at Crimson Spaces. While the artistic aficionado would ask questions related to price etc., I’d urge you to traverse a different line of questioning: one which touches on the aspects of spirituality, and, dare I say, existential, too.
And, this is quite possibly the question — if I may paraphrase Alain de Botton — you should ask should you ever come across these inimitable designs handcrafted by artists across the board: What bit of myself is missing that I find in this object of art that I find so beautiful?
Eden; Crimson Spaces 2019: Art Exhibition by Kamilka Perera and Danajaya Edirisinghe is open for viewing until the 31st of December 2019, at the Crimson Spaces Gallery,32A, Horton Place, Colombo 07 from Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm and on Sundays from 10am-1pm.
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Written by Rohitha Perera