Global warming and environmental changes in the recent years have inspired scores of activists and writers to take up the cause and voice their concern for it. For Senaka Senanayake it was no different, except that his medium of expression was his canvas. The renowned artist from Sri Lanka is exploring the rainforests of his
country, which are on the verge of depletion and are treasure coves for some of the most varied flora and fauna. His latest exhibition Lost Horizon: A show on Rainforests literally takes you on a delightful journey through the rainforests of Sri Lanka. He has showcased some of the paintings in Delhi three years ago but the series has undergone changes.
“It has evolved much more and there is a deeper connect this time,” says Senanayake. The vibrant art work speaks volumes about the rich foliage of the rainforests. This is a project that Senanayake took up 10 years ago when he took a trip to the rainforests at the behest of his cousin who is an environmentalist. “As a child I have visited various places across my country and this was a revelation. I didn’t know that the rainforests had this sort of variety and foliage. I was extremely excited to visit these forests and it was an amazing experience altogether. It simply looked so beautiful and enchanting. They are literally the enchanting forests of Sri Lanka,” says Senanayake who was pained to know that the rainforests were depleting.
“Around 70 to 80 per cent of them are endangered and I decided to take upon myself to spread the consciousness of keeping our ecology alive,” says Senanayake. He wants to reach out to the youth through the medium of art, especially, the common man who can relate to his art and express his take on it. “The average person on the street should be able to relate to it. I am not much concerned about the art connoisseurs and the critics and the elite who usually take to the medium. The common man on the street who can relate to my work will be my biggest encouragement,” explains Senanayake. “The excited look on the bewildered faces of children and their exclamations about nature and forests is what keeps me going. At least it makes them think and reflect upon the situation,” he adds.
His paintings literally make you feel good about nature and there is an instant connect with the art through the myriad colour palette.
The artists, who is a practitioner of Buddhism, believes in spreading cheer and happiness. He is also an ardent devotee of Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi. “One of his discourses spoke about looking at the positive aspects of life and concentrating on positive energies around you. Happiness is always sandwiched between two layers of sadness and it is more sensible to focus on that happiness. That is when I decided to focus on spreading joy through my paintings,” says Senanayake.
At 60, his portfolio explains a mind that was inspired by the socio-political era he grew up in, finally finding expression through nature.
“The conservation of our ecology is the most important issue that concerns nations across the world. We stand united by the vow to preserve nature and I believe every nation including Sri Lanka is doing its best in that regard,” he says.
The only role of artistic licence came in when he wanted to portray various plants and trees in one frame. “One doesn’t have the various kind of plants growing in the same place. But I went ahead and changed it for the canvas to look more appealing and to incorporate various hues of colours,” says Senanayake. But at the end of the day, what matters to him is spreading awareness and keeping the human consciousness alive. “We often tend to forget about how beautiful our world is. This is just taking a look at the nature and reflecting upon it,” says Senanyake.
— The exhibition is on till Januray 16 at the Art Alive Gallery