Daily News
Wednesday, 14 May 2008

Arrival of a little Prince
Prasad Abu Bakr

Sanjeewa Kumara's recent exhibition at Paradise Road Galleries did not fall short of entertaining his viewers as usual but this time around there was more than notes of whimsical verse in his work. A narration of a joyous journey and there was a reason for it too.

It is stated that Artist Sanjeewa Kumara has painted ever since he had the knowledge of how to hold a brush steady. His work proves this point if one looks close at the different techniques of brushwork which has been used by him in each of his paintings.

The artist who has paced through in obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts (painting) Degree from The Institute of Aesthetic Studies of The University of Kelaniya in 1999 furthered his studies on the subject later at The Dutch Art Institute in Enschede, Netherlands obtaining a masters of Fine Arts title. He has exhibited extensively and can be said is a one of the most successful contemporary artistes Sri Lanka has produced in recent times.

While busy working on his exhibitions Sanjeewa is also involved in a project since 2004 titled "Given Pepper Got Ginger' which is due to be completed this year, his other projects include 'Candy Cousins' works that was exhibited at Paradise Road Galleries in 2003 and later at Den Hague, Ensehede in the Netherlands a year later.
‘Nilame’

'Enjoy! Enjoy' a mural commissioned by the Theater Zwembad De Regents, Den Hague in the Netherlands in 2004 was another project which the artist enjoyed working on and earned him much recognition at the same time.

His playful style of unexplainable tales depicting dream like situations probably makes many of his viewers enjoy being a part of his work at any given time.

As one walks through the gallery viewing Sanjeewa's work the feeling of wanting to come back around again and again to view them becomes an unavoidable feeling.

It may be because the many decorative details that keep the viewer occupied throughout the trail tends to naturally disappear from one's mind as one proceeds, but the need to refresh one's mind and memorise his images becomes almost an obsession, that is if you are a lover of art who cherish pleasant recollections to be engraved in your mind.
Sanjeewa Kumara who has been exhibiting his work since 1996, years before he actually qualified through university here and totals up to almost 12 years has actually grown with his work. Even though it has always remained whimsical and canny they have not fallen short of conveying the artist's inner feelings at times.

Though sometimes his work has raised the point whether they were in fact a facade to a much painful introvert which the artist is concealing from the outside world? ‘Can’t love you unless I give you up’.
Whatever observations and conclusions one may be entitled to come to the fact that Sanjeewa Camera's work haven't seized to entertain from day one and has the ability to continue to do so is an praiseworthy fact.
However this time around the artist seems to reflect more joyous suggestions in his work. Some of the details seem more playful and almost as if it was all meant to entertain an outsider rather than the artist himself, which usually is the case.

"My son is two and a half years now" I heard him explaining to a visitor at the preview. What a wonderful feeling he was exclaiming through his work by enjoying the company of the 'Little Prince' (Don't forget he is Sanjeewa CAMERA!) in his family.
That unbeatable feeling of a father of his son.