Sri Lanka’s popular open-air art fair Kala Pola returned for the 32nd year on 16 February, at Cinnamon Gardens’ Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha (formerly Green Path).
With its unique offering of artistic diversity and creativity, this year’s event boasted a legacy of more than three decades of promoting local visual art.
Conceptualised and introduced by The George Keyt Foundation in 1993, and sponsored and co-presented by the John Keells Group through an unbroken patronage since 1994, Kala Pola has evolved as a ‘must visit’ event on Colombo’s art calendar. As always, this event played host to an array of painters, sculptors, portrait artists and cartoonists, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their work, connect with art enthusiasts, learn from and network with other artists, and expand their client base.
Chairperson of the George Keyt Foundation Malaka Talwatte highlighted the importance of the event, stating that “Kala Pola has developed over the past three decades into a thriving event that supports Sri Lankan art while providing our artists with opportunities that have the potential to change their lives. It is evidence of the enduring ability of art to uplift, inspire and bring people together.”
Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of CSR of the John Keells Group, added: “Kala Pola is not merely an art fair but a celebration of Sri Lankan talent, culture and community… We recognise their immense potential to catalyse the creative economy of the nation, as well as the overall role of art and culture in promoting critical conversations that enhance the social health and cohesion of our people.”
