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A London art house since 2006, specialising in Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani modern & contemporary art. Viewable by appointment.

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Sri Lankan Contemporary Art

TNS Director, Jana Manuelpillai, gives a quick insight into why collecting Sri Lankan contemporary art is a very good idea right now...
Sri Lankan Contemporary Art

Why Collect Sri Lankan Contemporary Art?

If you've ever been to Sri Lanka, you'll know how much the place stays with you. What fewer visitors realise is that the island is home to one of the most exciting and under-appreciated art scenes in South Asia. Art has always been part of life there. Since the civil war ended in 2009, though, the country's new stability has brought fresh investment, and an art scene that was always present, often quietly, has truly blossomed. Much of the international attention still goes to the 43 Group, the modernists who came together in Colombo in 1943. Led by the photographer Lionel Wendt and including painters such as George Keyt, Justin Daraniyagala, Harry Pieris and Ivan Peries, they broke away from the academic, colonial style of the day. In its place they forged a new language that drew on European modernism and on Sri Lanka's own traditions. The good news is that their success has thrown light on what came after. Today senior contemporary artists such as Jagath Weerasinghe, Jagath Ravindra and Anoma Wijewardene take centre stage, with a budding younger generation every bit as exciting coming up behind them. There is a great deal of talent on the island still largely untouched by the wider market. For a collector, that is a rare opportunity: a chance to find remarkable work early, as a kind of seed investment, and to nurture an artist's career much as the great benefactors of the past have done. Artists are so often the keepers of a community's stories and hopes, so supporting a Sri Lankan artist really is supporting Sri Lanka at its roots. Collecting needn't be about the market at all, of course. For many it's a way of connecting with their own heritage, or of keeping close a memory of a special person or an unforgettable holiday. And with India's contemporary scene now a powerful force on the world stage, Sri Lanka looks set to be next, and is already showing the signs. If you'd like to hear more about Sri Lankan art, or simply aren't sure where to begin, please do get in touch with us at The Noble Sage. We'd love to help you on your collecting journey.