Sanat Initiative collaborated with KB17 Karachi Biennale for an artist in residence programme for the celebrated Sri Lankan artist Pala Pothupitiye for the KB17-Sanat Residency 2017. The director of Sanat Initiative, Karachi, Abid Merchant invited me at KB17 to witness Pala Pothupitiye's artwork titled "Colonial Dress" made by the artist working laboriously for hours in several days during the residency at Sanat Gallery, Karachi.
While talking about the artwork Abid Merchant said, "The outcome of this programme was a piece of performance art titled "This is not a performance 2" where the amazing Pala exhibited his artwork titled "Colonial Dress" fabricated during the residency as a 3 hours performance at the inaugural ceremony of KB17 on October 21, 2017 NJV School in Karachi."
"The space provided at Claremont House, one of twelve locations for the display of Pala's "Colonial Dress" will remain empty and show no work during the 2 weeks of KB17 as it is a statement that Pala wanted to make and is a part of the performance itself. Pala hadn't imagined the response to his performance art to have such a powerful impact on the minds of the people."
"Hosting Pala was a wonderful experience and we hope to collaborate with him and other artists from Sri Lanka in the not too distant future," said Abid Merchant about his experience while working with the artist. During my visit to the residency at Sanat Gallery, Karachi I had an interesting conversation with Pala Pothupitiye. He said that collectors are necessary for art to thrive. Because when an artist discuss his/her concept with an art collector the collector will understand the way of doing and perceiving an artwork by the artist hence if the collector like the artwork it will become part of the collection.
He was very impressed by his visit to Pakistan and enjoyed working here talking about his experience he said, "I have been to many exhibitions around the world. In such exhibitions my artworks hang on the wall for a limited time and visitors see it. But here I had a different experience I also visited the venue where my artwork was going to display and had a first hand experience of people appreciating and discussing my work. I saw live reactions of people at the biennale and this expressiveness of people is a lifelong experience."
Elaborating his current work Pala said, "The cloak, flattering the enlightenment dream, is a re-interpretation of political concerns relating to post-colonial social stratification, institutionalization and commercialization. Pala aims to address the trauma scattered through a continuous era of exploited statism, where the condemned, poverty-stricken and illiterate Sri Lankan tea workers were victims of organized slavery suffering appalling living and health conditions hidden from the beautified cosmopolitan luxury of tea drinking society."
Coming from a background of traditional craft artists and ritual specialists, Pala aspires to confront post-colonial rights violations of individuals and working groups. "The tea bag, which began to be a necessity for luxurious urban rituals in the early twentieth century, is used here to carry the tormented stories of exploited tea workers. The academic dress stands for statements of elite power, fashion and the rise of modern institutions," Pala said.
He transformed completely the appearance of an academic cloak title "Colonial Dress" and the cloak morphed into an embroidered wear with more than one thousand used and sealed tea bags. He used juxtaposing and overlapping of the teabags stitched and arranged carefully to produce the desired outlook of the robe.
Pala Pothupitiye linked present to the past thus revising history in today's scenario. Pleasantly delicate and understated Pala's subtle artwork confronts serious social issues that raised centuries ago still inflict people who are associated with certain jobs like tea workers.
"As a visual artist I am attempting to stimulate thought and discussion through my visual interpretations of our current situation," Pala said. Pala Pothupitiye was only 10 years old when the Sri Lankan war broke out in June 1983 and over the next two decades; he watched it deform his country. His sense of country and history were deeply marked by the 26-year-war.
He received his art education at the Visual and Performance Art University at Colombo, graduating with a BFA in sculpture. Pala was named Best Artist of the Year and received first place in Sculpture at the State Art Festival in Sri Lanka in 2003. In 2005 he was also selected to participate in the 3rd Fukuoka Triennial at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan, and in 2010 received the jury awarded 1st Prize in the Sovereign Art Asian Prize, Hong Kong.
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