The Green Path artists who have come to be a staple in the Colombo 7 area at the Open Air Art Gallery and were missing from view for some time since the curfew was lifted, have once again begun to make their way over to their respective corners to display their art.
These open air art shows at Green Path are an integral part of the fabric of the Colombo 7 area. If you are to walk alongside Green Path, flanked by Viharamahadevi Park and NelumPokuna, under the shade of the trees that adorn the way, you have come to expect the brightly coloured canvases to be part of your view.
This view, which we have somewhat come to take for granted, is courtesy of actual artists who rely on selling the work that is displayed to make a living. They shared with The Sunday Morning Brunch that they are certainly a group that was hit hardest, struggling immensely due to the pandemic.
To hear what they had to say, now that they have returned after the hiatus, we took a stroll down Green Path; we were surprised to see that even though it was a weekday, there were at least eight or nine artists lined up and working beside their canvases.
We were informed that on any given weekday prior to the pandemic, you could have expected to see around 15-20 artists, and on weekends, the entirety of the union comprising 60 street artists will be present at their corners.
Surviving an unfortunate time
MalingaKumarasinghe (for artwork, contact him at aryaart15@gmail.com or on 0775 732 503 [WhatsApp]), manning one of the first stops on our way, said that he returned here as soon as they were given the green light, because he felt that even if there was nobody on the streets, he needed to take the chance.
“I tried my best not to let the time go to waste; I used it to draw as much as I could and to create something that would be attractive. However, I had limited materials and resources because there was no way to restock art supplies during that period as everything happened so suddenly, so during those last two months, we were soon starting to feel pretty hopeless,” he said.
He added that most of the sales that happen on Green Path are impulse buys; primarily tourists, who walk by and feel that they want to have a souvenir of sorts from the island but do not want to go the traditional route of trinkets, would opt for something like this. He said that the majority of his sales would come from amateur art enthusiasts from other countries who wish to have something different in their household.
Now that a number of the artists are returning, we wondered if the crowds have returned as well. ThusithaGodagedara (for artwork, contact him at thusithaart@gmail.com or on 0770 313 536), an artist who displays not only his work but also both his son’s and daughter’s work, shared that while they do not expect things to bounce back to normal immediately, things are looking a little more bleak than expected.
“Compared to how we used to be back in the day, in my case before the virus, I was mostly depending on tourists, but now we have to rely on locals driving by,” he said, adding: “We also get a lot of our business from orders we receive privately; this tends to happen where people who drive by would come and get our contact numbers and then contact us privately to commission work for their houses.” He said that they did receive some orders, however, the season for it has passed.
The artists shared that there are peak times of the year during which they expect to make their best sales, and December is one of their best times. However, in 2019 due to the Easter Sunday attacks, they had one of the worst years they’ve ever experienced with next to no profits being made. They said that still reeling from that loss, their next best times are during April, when the New Year rush comes in and people are looking to purchase mostly abstract paintings for their newly colourwashed houses, and then there’s Vesak and Poson as well. They shared that if the country was in a normal state, they would have been able to recover from last year’s losses. However, due to the pandemic they were unable to meet those marks; they added that this has resulted in them not having sufficient funds to even transport their work to and from their studios.
A blessing to practise what they love doing
Speaking to a few more vendors, we noticed that while many of them are struggling and there is a certain degree of anger and resentment towards the authorities, they all believe that it is a blessing that they are able to practise what they love and it is up to them to overcome the results of the hand that has been dealt to them.
Shreepali Ratnayake, who has been displaying his work on Green Path for the past six years, shared that while it is his choice in life that he is a “street artist”, he would like to pose a question to the relevant authorities on whether it is so difficult to provide a certain layer of protection and assistance in recognition of their contributions. “When corona came about at least, while we do not wish to ask for handouts, it would have been appreciated if the Government would have recognised the collective known as street artists, and offered aid as and when possible.”
Shreepali shared an unfortunate incident that transpired during the curfew period that caused some distress amongst the artists. “When curfew was first announced, we did not think even for a moment that it would last this long. When corona was first discovered (here), we had absolutely no business. So what we did was instead of spending money we didn’t have on transporting our work, we just stored it here in the back and left.
“We were told by the Police not to leave our stuff, but we assumed there won’t be much of a risk because we expected to come back in a few days. However, when we eventually came back after the three-month curfew, paintings worth about Rs. 1.5 million belonging to three of our artists were stolen.”
He said that while they may be at fault for not heeding the police warning, regardless, people have no right to misappropriate another’s property. However, they have been told by the officers in the area that they will try to track the paintings down.
‘Why is our kind of art any different?’
Some of the more disgruntled statements came from the younger artists, many of whom expressed that the treatment that they get as “street artists” is prejudicial, and that they are treated as if their art is secondary to others. One of them stated: “If someone takes part in a teledrama, they are an artist, even if they act for just two seconds in a teledramas, but we are ‘street artists’.
“Under the title of an ‘artist’ we have no recognition; there are artists who have been here for about 40 years now but whose work has never been appreciated.”
There were others who said: “If you think about it, are our films, teledramas, or even music consumed by those outside of the island, by non-Lankans? No. However, the art we create is enjoyed all over the world; these are displayed in households. But if you act in a few movies and pass away, you get much fanfare; your family is called to NelumPokuna and given a big farewell.
“For us, even (after) 50-60 years on the street, consistently contributing to the foreign revenue in the country, no one bats an eye when one of us dies. I don’t see why the two types of art and artists are differentiated so drastically.”
We spoke to Open Air Art Gallery President A.C. Nuwan about the disparities that appear to exist between those who are recognised as artists in the country, particularly in reference to the tiers of galleries that exist and those who frequent them.
He said that there is a differentiation to be made between artists and salespersons – both of whom are present at the galleries and at Green Path; not everyone is true to their craft.
He said if you are to take galleries like the National Art Gallery and the Lionel Wendt Art Centre into consideration, these are all free of charge for an art enthusiast who wants to enjoy art. Yet, they are all valued at greatly different levels. He said that these disparities truly arise where one’s intentions lie; if an artist is true to their work and their work is able to speak to a certain audience, then they will be rewarded. However, there are other socioeconomic limitations that come into play. Nevertheless, there are those who have overcome such barriers as well.
Nuwan went on to express a similar sentiment to the artists with regards to assistance from the authorities. He said that in their association, they have been able to fight for a small amount of relief, such as the permanent corners they have for themselves, which have been approved by the municipality, and the artist identification card, which the association issues and carries its own perks.
However, he said that much like what the artists themselves have expressed, there is a lack of appreciation and recognition towards the group who are “street artists”, and they feel that it is unjust.
Photos: Eshan Dasanayaka
