/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/CULTURE-SRI LANKA: Arts Students Face Few Options After School

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Gamini Akmeemana

COLOMBO, Sep 25 2001 (IPS) - Despite a rich history in the plastic arts which goes back to pre-Christian times, Sri Lanka’s contemporary arts scene leaves much to be desired.

The celebrated rock paintings of Sigiriya go back to the 5th century A.D. Today, however, this island nation of almost 19 million people has only a handful of competent painters and sculptors. To make matters worse, education of the fine arts is neglected in favour of science and technology.

The performing arts (dance and music) too face many difficulties, but they are more established in the public perception compared to the plastic arts.

The Institute of Aesthetic Studies is situated in a posh residential area of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. But its old buildings look downright shabby, and the complex is woefully under-equipped to teach its 204 students.

Vehement student protests, including a fasting campaign, led the government to implement much-needed improvements, including a new three-storey studio-cum lecture hall complex which is nearing completion.

But the institute, which was affiliated to the University of Kelaniya in 1979, reflects the unsatisfactory state of Sri Lanka’s contemporary fine arts scene.

The institute formally came into being in 1974 after three independent schools were brought together, and it produced its first batch of Bachelor of Fine Arts degree holders in 1978.

Even though this is the largest institution of its kind in Sri Lanka, it has clearly seen better days.

A generation earlier, it produced a number of talented artists. Prestigious painters with an international reputation such as David Paynter and Tilak Abeysinghe taught here, and the atmosphere was convivial. Today, though, all that is history.

There are a few privately-run art schools in the country, but they serve only a relative minority and are not equipped to offer a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, as the Institute of Aesthetics Studies does. Those who aspire to a degree must strive to get selected for studies here after finishing high school.

Out of some 600 aspirants, only about 60 are lucky enough to be chosen annually. Applicants must sit for an entrance exam. The institute was closed down during the bloody 1987-89 Marxist rebellion, and this has created an awful backlog in the student intake.

Typical final year students at the institute are in their late twenties. First-year students who started their studies in 2001 are now in their early twenties, at an age when their contemporaries in other universities expect to graduate.

In any case, selection for admission means that their troubles have only just begun.

Many students are poor and come from rural areas. The institute’s hostel is cramped and does not provide food. It has leased several buildings for the students but they are not situated anywhere near the institute. Daily commuting further strains students’ already strained budgets.

Scholarships are available but, at about 15 U.S. dollars per month, are hardly sufficient to cover expenses.

Tuition is free but students must buy the material and equipment they need from private sources. The institute provides only one thing – clay for ceramics and sculpture.

Even here, students must pay the cost of material if they wish to take home their experiments and creations. Bronze casting or marble carving is unheard of.

At a time of skyrocketing inflation, buying oils, acrylic, watercolours, brushes and canvas is a daunting task for the average student. Nobody buys canvas for oil painting – students work on coarse cotton cloth.

The government has put imported artists’ colours and brushes in the luxury items list, imposing a hefty import tax and putting the better qualities out of most students’ reach.

After a one-year foundation course, students are selected for different disciplines – painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic art and interior design. They come under four main sections – painting, sculpture, visual communication and multi-disciplinary design.

In addition, the institute is trying revive its long-defunct photography school. It has hired a veteran photographer for this purpose and allocated space for a studio in the new building.

The photography school has one old camera and enlarger as equipment. It also has a number of enthusiastic students waiting with a long list of needs — ranging from printing paper to a tripod.

The majority of students opt for painting.

The institute has a well-equipped library, but most of the books are in English. As many students do not have enough English to read them, making use of wealth of information remains a difficulty. A programme to teach English was implemented, but has not met with much success. Using other media such as films and videos as teaching aids is very infrequent.

Sri Lanka has a small arts market, based largely in Colombo. Established painters have a clientele — such paintings can cost 1,000 U.S. dollars or more — but the lack of established art dealers, auctions, galleries and critics means that the picture remains chaotic. It is hard for unknown young artists to earn recognition.

Many students survive by doing freelance work for advertising agencies. Those who become ceramics designers can have some of working for a ceramics factory, but openings are few.

The best hope of steady employment for the average graduate is as a fine arts teacher. While female students are willing to go for that, that is a profession scorned by most of the male students.

Students accuse teachers of hidebound traditionalism while teachers accuse students of not working hard enough.

Dr Sarath Chandrajeewa, the current director, says that he has undertaken an ambitious expansion programme to be completed in 2005. He intends to double the student intake and clear the backlog by introducing a six-day week and double sessions.

Also projected is the creation of two new departments – fine arts and applied arts. The director points out that the institute had no computers until last year – now it has five, and the teaching of computer graphics is undertaken.

Also, the institute will introduce post-graduate degree programmes, which it has hitherto lacked.

But 60 arts students out of a population of almost 19 million is hardly an impressive figure, and Sri Lanka is ill-equipped to handle even that miniscule number. Furthermore, some of the students and teachers here are unwilling to see a significant increase in that number.

“How are we going to find jobs?” asked one frustrated student. Clearly, this is a bad time to be a budding artist in Sri Lanka.