The national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines recently hosted ‘Speculo 2017’, a national painting and visual arts exhibition featuring the work of the country’s top professional artists as well as youth from all corners of the island. The event took place at J.D.A. Perera Gallery from February 24 – 26 and was attended by art enthusiasts, business leaders, military veterans, government officials, students and members of the airline’s team as well as the general public. 

 The competition featured a total of 80 professional artists (by far the most amount of professional Sri Lankan artists of esteemed repute, who have showcased their work together at a single exhibition), 350 displays and diverse pieces that were showcased under a cross-section of categories. The theme of the exhibition was ‘My SriLankan Perspective’ and this year, the response was extremely encouraging. As part of the all-island art competition, which was hosted in the run-up to exhibition, school children from remote areas such as Jaffna, Mannar, Bibile and Balangoda also sent in their entries, whilst students and professors from several higher educational institutions, art teachers and even clergy members participated.

 A line-up of artistic activities was also conducted at the event including portrait sketching, mehendi art, and painting contests, encouraging those visited the exhibition to be inspired. The exhibition was organized with the aim of inspiring artists from across the country to showcase their work, by creatively elaborating their perspective on the national carrier. 

SriLankan Airlines also hosted the event, to bring the creative community together and provide local artists with a national platform to feature their work and artistic contributions to the country.