Many eastern philosophical traditions place importance on attaining silence and stillness.
In Lao Tzu’s ‘Tao Te Ching’ it is stated that “Use stillness to let what is troubled settle and grow clear”.
In an increasingly tumultuous and unstable world, these words seem to make more sense. We are incessantly bombarded with information which is manufactured in muddy territories. We are not equipped with tools to derive the truth from the vast marshlands of misinformation and disinformation.
Without our consent we seem to be forced to position ourselves midst a myriad of conflicting opinions and views. In a world in which ‘the loudest of them all’ is shown to be a hero, a sage or a messiah, how, why and where could we seek silence and stillness?
Constantly riddled by this paradox, I could instantly sense a glimpse of an answer in Channa Ekanayake’s art. It is with the hope of delving deeper that I visited his current exhibition ‘Bodhi’ at the Barefoot Gallery and thought of conversing with him.
Channa begins the conversation by saying that he had shown an artistic aptitude from a very young age and Sumana Dissanayake had been his first art teacher.
Croatian artist
Around 1994, he had met Ms. Dora Tomulic, the Croatian artist who had imparted extensive technical knowledge on diverse mediums and also on upholding quality over quantity when producing artwork.
While studying with Dora, Channa had participated in many group exhibitions and eventually in 2001, the Lionel Wendt Trust had granted him the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition. Channa remembers Late Nihal Fernando, the chairman of the Lionel Wendt Trust at that time, with much gratitude, as his interest in Channa’s work had been integral in catapulting Channa’s artistic career to new heights.
From then onwards Channa’s work had been recognized by the George Keyt Foundation and opportunities had been granted to take part in various events and exhibitions aimed at promoting Sri Lankan art.
“I think what influenced me the most to grow as an artist were international and local art residencies. Working with international artists gave me the exposure to investigate new methods and methodologies,” Channa reminisces.
It is very evident that Channa places much emphasis on precision and that every aspect of his art is calculated and carefully deliberated. He attributes this to his training on canvas preparation as well as the principles such as the Golden Mean and Connecting Lines. His main goal is to derive harmony in all aspects of his art.
Harmony
“I use these classical artistic traditions and techniques to achieve harmony. Without harmony I would not be able to convey my objective in art which is to evoke Silence,” Channa declares.
The notion of Silence intrigues me, and I probe further.
“My main goal is to quieten the mind of the viewer. This is my way of reacting or responding to the consumerist society that we live in. Instead of portraying consumerism and its consequences which unsettle and drive humans into a perpetual state of unhappiness and discontentment, I intend to demonstrate the antidote to the illness: which is silence or stillness,” Channa elaborates.
He goes on to say that there were other artistic endeavours which inspired and stimulated him to think along these lines. One such had been Dr. Ediriweera Sarachchandra’s stage drama ‘Bhava Kadathuraawa’ in which the Buddhist Jataka Tale, Swarna Hansa Jatakaya was taken as the story line.
In an interview, when Dr. Sarachchandra was asked why he did not come up with a more contemporary story which dealt with the sociopolitical context of that particular time, Dr. Sarachchandra had replied, “I have tried to show the root cause of all problems which is nothing but greed.”
Channa says this particular statement had stayed with him influencing his creative work thereafter. Another such pivotal declaration which had influenced Channa had been what Titus Thotawatte had said about his film ‘Handaya’.
When asked why he had not attempted to ‘give a message’ to society as with all the other film makers of his time, Thotawatte had said that his intention was not to convey messages but to entertain the audience.
Subdued colours
“This made me realize that whatever I create should be pleasing to the eye and that it should be pleasurable to look at. These explanations by other artistic stalwarts fashioned my practice to a great extent. I became increasingly minimalistic and used subdued colours instead of raw, bold colours. I also experimented on texture and layers.
“I realized that ‘Art should be for Art’ and that has been my guiding philosophy since then. I’ve also come to the realization that the artist should enjoy and derive contentment out of the artistic process before anyone else does. That happiness or contentment or satisfaction should be the most definitive priority for me as an artist,” Channa explained. Since then Channa’s art has evolved according to his affinity with various resources, subjects and traditions such as Sri Lankan folklore, Buddhist literature and Kandyan temple murals.
When asked about what instigates a certain composition, Channa explains “It is like climbing a stairway. Once I do one composition, a whole series emerges as I continue to make subtle changes to that composition. Then onwards one series paves the way to the next.”
Channa’s current exhibition of paintings titled ‘Bodhi’ is based on ancient Sinhala Buddhist Literature and more specifically ‘Bodhiwanshaya’ which details the trees under which 28 Buddhas are said to have attained enlightenment. Channa goes on to elaborate that he was fascinated by the different type of trees listed in Bodhiwanshaya and therefore, have portrayed some of them in this series of paintings.
He had also wanted to integrate certain architectural elements of the cave temples such as cave entrances, cave steps, rocks, flags, ponds, tiled roofs, and other architectural attributes unique to cave temples.
Viewing ‘Bodhi’ is reminiscent of a certain spiritual and meditative energy I have experienced only in ancient cave temples where I could feel the cold granite under my feet, smell the incense and fragrance of the frangipani flowers offered to Buddha, see the flickering flames of a solitary oil lamp, the Sun’s rays lighting ancient statues and murals, and hear nothing but the wind and thereafter only the silence.
In a constantly screaming, tortured world, ‘Bodhi’ gives a much needed respite, offering serene, calming in sights of silence.
‘Bodhi’, the exhibition of paintings at the Barefoot Gallery, Colombo concludes today.
