‘Kala Pola’ brings an explosion of colour to Colombo
Posted by Unknown on Friday, January 31, 2014 | 0 comments
Kala Pola, Colombo’s annual open-air art fair celebrated its 21st anniversary in an explosion of colour and camaraderie in a marathon 14 hour extravaganza on Sunday 26 January 2014.
Gracing the official ceremony as Chief Guest was Jong-moon Choi, the South Korean Ambassador to Sri Lanka. Also present were Director of SAARC Cultural Centre Mr. G.L.W. Samarasinghe, Deputy Chairman of John Keells Holdings PLC Mr. Ajit Gunawardene, Chairman and Trustees of The George Keyt Foundation, and a large number of well wishers and invitees.
Kala Pola 2014 hosted 277 artists and sculptors, who, in turn, attracted nearly 20,000 visitors along the sidewalks of Nelum Pokuna Mawatha, Colombo 7.
Kala Pola 2014 also included a ‘Children’s Art Corner’ drawing nearly a hundred children who expressed themselves in art and were rewarded with a certificate, gift hamper and ice-cream courtesy Elephant House.
Kala Pola also saw the participation of a team of students and faculty from the Eastern University, Batticaloa as well as differently-abled children from Hambantota, whose work was greatly appreciated. As dusk fell over Colombo, the night’s entertainment included lively performances by Ravibandhu Vidyapathi’s drummers and the fusion band Thriloka.
Expressing his pleasure at being present at Kala Pola, Chief Guest, H.E. Jong-moon Choi, the South Korean Ambassador to Sri Lanka, said that events such as Kala Pola demonstrate that Art is not a luxury and not for a chosen few, but rather for everyone to appreciate and own. “Kala Pola renders a great service in providing an equal opportunity to young talented artists who are not yet known, to display their work and to be noticed by collectors. I appreciate the great contribution made to this event by the John Keells Group, the most respected corporate entity in Sri Lanka”. Speaking in lighter vein, the Ambassador said he had a “confession” to make. “I came here earlier on in the morning, browsed and picked up two pieces. I’ve actually been coming to Kala Pola over the past few years as well.”
Cedric De Silva, Chairman of The George Keyt Foundation, said that the Foundation’s core objective has been enabling opportunity for art, especially for aspiring artists. “This year too Kala Pola provided artists and the art-loving public an enabling forum to appreciate and exchange works of art. This fourteen hour event is estimated to have generated over Rs. 10 million in sales, excluding what might have been commissioned by potential buyers.Our thanks to John Keells Holdings and the John Keells Foundation for their commitment to the artists and the art-loving public of Sri Lanka for over twenty years”.
John Keells Holdings’ Head of CSR Ms. Nadija Tambiah said, “We are elated with the resounding success of Kala Pola. It was undoubtedly a grand show with an unending visitor turnout from 8am to 10 pm. The transformation of Kala Pola into a night art market was also greatly appreciated by the vast number of visitors. Kala Pola is now unmistakable and inescapable as one of Colombo’s iconic cultural events”.
Presented since 1993 by The George Keyt Foundation, Kala Pola has continued to enjoy the generous patronage and strong partnership of the John Keells Group over the years under its corporate social responsibility programme which is committed to supporting the development and promotion of art and culture of Sri Lanka.
Kala Pola 2014 also attracted a record number of 80 staff volunteers from the John Keells Group who supported the organising and implementing of the event. Volunteer Thilina Weerasekera said, “Volunteering at Kala Pola was a fulfilling experience. It was a privilege to be a part of an initiative that embodies the true essence of corporate citizenship.”
