Poornima Jayasinghe – ‘Art is not a Nonu, It is a Verb’
Founder | Artist, Sculpture, Photographer & Designer [Graphic / Interior]
Through public participatory interactive Art works, Poornima Jayasinghe boldly engages with the audience, which the viewer participate in some way by providing an input in order to determine the outcome. In much of her work she shifts the focus from the creator of the work of art to what once had been the viewer. In this way, she draws the viewer into the work of art by staging a performance in which she or he can, or sometime must participate. Form this point of view, the work of art becomes a process rather than an object and art is no longer a noun, it becomes a verb.
Poornima is a co-founder and a director of the Collective of Contemporary Artists (CoCA). The first pioneering art organization in Sri Lanka bringing forth Art forms, such as public-space, socially-engaged and sustainable art forms and practices connected with mind, society and environment. CoCA, Engages in research-based art, and encourage diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate and appreciate arts. An organization which cultivates strongly on emphasizing and promoting ‘sustainable art’ in harmony with the key principles of sustainability that includes ecology, social justice, non-violence and grassroots democracy. She is currently working as Head of Art at the British School in Colombo and as a visiting lecture at City School of Architecture in Sri Lanka.
She represented Sri Lanka for Asian Art network in Korea 2015. She is also being nominated by Annoushka Hampel Founder and director of Colombo Art Biennale for the 2017 Sovereign Asian Art Prize from Sri Lanka. Poornima also a Co – Curator and artists’ facilitator for Social canvas, public art project founded by The British Council, 2014, Co-Curator, Art in Public Space project, founded by the Goethe Institute 2012,Co-Curator, 'Celebrating Contemporary Sri Lankan Art -Art on the Edge’, and Co- Outreach Programme Director, Colombo Art biennale 2016.
Poornima, is being invited to present her artwork and guest talks about public participatory interactive artwork at the TEDX, TEDx youth, Social Canvas Symposium 2015, Colombo Art Biennale [2014 -2016] Colombo Scope [2016,2017], the Raffles Design institute and many other Art and Design platforms.
She has obtained a Higher National Diploma in Graphic design affiliate to Curtin University Australia, HND in photography from the Photographic Art Society, affiliate to FIAP, and a Higher National Diploma in Interior design from the AOD Sri Lanka.
Her works have been exhibited in many local and International exhibitions around the world. Colombo Art Biennale, Colombo Scope, Sri Lanka, 2014, 2015 ,2016, & 2017. Festival of Graphics 2014, France, Imago Mundi group exhibition in Venice Art Biennale, VM Art Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan ; Colombo Art Biennale, 2009, 2012 & 2014, Untold Stories, Manifesto something Else Off Biennale Cairo 2018 among others. Poornima, has won many awards locally and internationally for her paintings, digital art and conceptual photography.
She doesn’t limit herself to any one genre and her art practice also encompasses drawing, painting, sculpture, installation digital art, mix media, video and sound installations. She has emerged in the international arena in the last few years as an artist exploring possibilities of artistic expressions, using alternative spaces both inside and outside of galleries. Her interactive public participatory art works such as “towards a bright future”, “making History – a process”, “Re/Cycle”, “Emerge + Tech” are highly commendable by both local and international art critics, curators and many others which reflect of broad personal, social, political and cultural issues of the contemporary society within a deep psychological context.
Chinthaka Thenuwara
Founder | Artist, Photographer, Sulptore & Designer [ Interior]
Chinthaka Thenuwara is an international and local award winning photographer, artist , collector and restore. Within his art practice ‘Time’ is represented as a symbolic process and deals with an inherent contradictions with the socio political and cultural context in Sri Lanka. Time based mediums and art forms such as Kinetic Art, Interactive Art, Video, installations, sculptures, photography and paintings are widely use within his art practice. He also connect his vast collection of collectibles to his art work which represents time, history and interaction.
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He has obtained a licentiate membership in the Institute of Sri Lankan Photography, a Higher National Diploma in photography from the Photographic Art Society, Sri Lanka affiliate to FIAP, and a Higher National Diploma in Interior design from the AOD Sri Lanka.
He is a co-founder and a director of the Collective of Contemporary Artists (CoCA). The first pioneering art organization in Sri Lanka bringing forth Art forms, such as public-space, socially-engaged and sustainable art. CoCA, Engages in research-based art, and encourage diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate and appreciate arts. An organization which cultivates strongly on emphasizing and promoting ‘sustainable art’ in harmony with the key principles of sustainability that includes ecology, social justice, non-violence and grassroots democracy.
He has rendered his service as a lecture at the City School of Architecture (currently fulltime lecturer), the University of Moratuwa and Raffles Design Institute in Sri Lanka.
Chinthaka, is being invited to present his artwork and guest talks about public participatory interactive artwork at the TEDX, TEDx youth. He has shown his work as part of CoCA Artists group at the CAB 2012, Goethe-Institut, “Beyond Perception” at park street Mews, French spring Festival, “Pettah Expose” at the CMC Building Pettah, CAB 2014, CAB 2016, Vijayanagar Residency 2014 India, Colomboscope 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and various other local and international exhibitions.
Other interest are of enjoy collecting and restoring vintage audio equipment, HiFi, various audio formats, clocks and other various antiques to vintage machines to everyday objects that had a impact to life, social and cultural context.
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