Explore the colours of Sri Lanka’s wild at this exhibit in Mumbai

Throughout its history Sri Lanka has been scarred by civil war and infighting In 2022 the country reached the brink of bankruptcy causing mass panic The concerns of art nature and aesthetics feel superficial at such times Yet for 73year old Senaka Senanayake it is art that can best capture the beauty and complexity of Sri LankaThe banana grove triptych oil on canvasldquoPeople often forget that like India Sri Lanka too emerged from the aftermath of colonialismrdquo Senanayake points out The artist points to the fading Sri Lankan rainforests as the proof of the pudding ldquoThe island boasts of a tropical rainforest hotspot with over 60 percent endemic species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world It is a UNESCO World Heritage Siterdquo remarks Senanayake who spent the last three years in the Sinharaja Reserve in the Galle district Elephants aside rare species of butterflies orchids the toque macaque Sri Lankan leopards woodpeckers dot these forests he notes Yet these rare resources are ignoredIt is no surprise then that the greenery from the emerald isle inspires his latest exhibition in the city Twentyfive pieces of oil paintings alongside sketches and watercolours emerged from his exhaustive efforts of conservation and documentation of Sri Lankan wildlife and are currently on display at the Snowball Studios in Worli ldquoThe idea was to bring these visuals to awaken a new generation of Sri Lankans to the treasures at homerdquo he saysUntitled Monks 3Art is the only way I can speak says Senanayake If the surname seems familiar it is only because he hails from a family that produced two former Prime Ministers of the country including DS Senanayake mdash the first Prime Minister of independent Sri Lanka mdash and later Dudley Senanayake along with several members of parliament ldquoI took to artrdquo he laughs Emerging as a prodigy as an eightyearold he went on to study in Yale and later Cambridge ldquoMy parents wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer I had no interest in either The next best thing that offered some scope for creativity was architecturerdquo he sharesThis education in architecture and the travels overseas inculcated a keen love for the natural resources at home ldquoI could see that these landscapes and species do not exist anywhere else And this is a scientific factrdquo he tells us The artist turns to an ancient Indian connection ldquoThere is a legend that says Ravana once carried a mountain from the Himalayas down to Sri Lanka along with the trees flowers and animals Perhaps there is a kernel of truth to itrdquo Senanayake laughsIn Search of The Purple OrchidThrough his canvas these species return The bright colours the soft pastels and an optimistic portrayal is his way of conveying hope ldquoThe landscape is constantly changing For me the canvas is a way to remind people of what they are losing I have seen the Asian elephant move away from the highlands to the low areas where they come into conflict with peoplerdquo he saysAs he has travelled with the exhibition Senanayake notes the commonality of the problem ldquoI began on this series as a Sri Lankan artist But I can see a resonance in Mumbai the Sunderbans and even the Himalayas It is an issue that raises questions on our next step as a human societyrdquo he concludesTILL November 16 11 am to 7 pmAT Snowball Studios Mohatta Bhavan Dr E Moses Road WorliAlso ReadSouza Sherpa and symbolism