Panorama of artist Senaka’s works

Writers express themselves through their writings, musicians through their music but for an artist, his work, whether be it a painting, a portrait or just a drawing, speak to a great length not only about his feelings but of others as well.

Grosvenor Gallery will showcase its works for the sixth consecutive year at the 8th edition of the India Art Fair from January 28-31. This year the gallery will be exhibiting new paintings by one of South Asia’s premier artists, Senaka Senanayake. 

The work by renowned artist Senaka Senanayake, titled ‘Ganesh’, will be published in an edition of 100 and will be available for the first time at the India Art Fair. The piece is exclusive to Grosvenor Gallery, which will not be available anywhere else.

Senaka achieved early fame as a child prodigy, whose work was first exhibited in Colombo in the late 1950s. He then held his first international one man show in New York at the age of 10. He continued to paint and as a teenager held numerous exhibitions in Sri Lanka as well as Europe, the USA and Asia. His recent work is inspired by the plight of the Sri Lankan rainforests, many of which have been a subject to intense deforestation to make way for tea-plantations. 

One of Senaka’s objectives is to establish a connection with everyone that encounters his work. “Many times, people can’t relate to a piece of art  as the artworks don’t respond but I want my paintings to talk. Everyone, from a street sweeper to a university professor, should be able to relate to my art”, said Senaka.

It takes almost 2-3 weeks for his canvas to get completed. Layer upon layer of paint is added, creating an incredible depth to the colours and imparting a rich feel to the works, which appear to have an almost luminescent quality to them.

When asked about his work, the artist commented: “My main focus is on the endangered flora and fauna in our rainforests. In 2005, I visited a rainforest in Sri Lanka, which had become my muse for many of my shows. I could have shown the negative aspects of destruction, such as people and animals dying, but I try to create happy and positive paintings.”