Why Colombo's new museum underscores a thriving art scene - SilverKris

"Opened to wide acclaim late last year on a high floor of a new Colombo tower, this new institution presents a sweeping, deliberately accessible survey of Sri Lankan modern and contemporary art. Its inaugural exhibition, curated as “one hundred thousand small tales,” spans the 1930s to the present and showcases 43 artists and some 150 works — from map-based pieces such as the Barrelism Tourist Map and GPS Drawing to politically charged projects like Cabinet of Resistance and the photographic protest series I Let My Hair Loose. The programme foregrounds artists whose work is sharply critical, openly political and deeply personal (including works by Muhanned Cader, Chandraguptha Thenuwara, Anoli Perera, T Shanaathanan, Jasmine Nilani Joseph and Jagath Weerasinghe), and pairs canonical modernists from the ’43 Group with emerging voices. Entry is free, the museum is trilingual and education is central to its mission, with regular talks, tours and school and university initiatives, while staff plan a multi-year programme to build, conserve and make a permanent collection that brings Sri Lankan artistic practice to a broader public." - Smriti Daniel