By Bernadine Rodrigo Art has for a long time been an aspect that has influenced people of all kinds in various ways. From cave art of the Stone Age to the breathtaking and detailed work of the Renaissance, art has reflected humanity’s progress through time. From representing the other creature with whom we shared our land to reflecting one’s most personal beliefs, the canvas – be it a rock, wall, or cloth – has been one of the dumping grounds of humanity’s deepest, innermost thoughts. We are quite aware that art is a form of expression and recreation, just like performing arts and literary arts. However, while usually these art forms are used to gain an aesthetic pleasure, we have witnessed time and time again that art has been used to invoke a feeling so strong that it changes the entire view of the beholder and even entire societies. Art has been used to begin revolutions, start wars, and inspire peace and unity. It has been used to belittle politicians, to ridicule and prevent exploiters, and to alter the mindset of societies as a whole – most often for the better. Prasad Hettiarachchi is an artist who uses his artistic talent in a similar way – essentially to portray what is wrong with the world. He is an artist beginning to rise in popularity as a result of his unique pieces which depict a clear message of a need of change. His art can be seen in various colours, lightly shaded, but with a strong and firm display. Many browns, many yellows – all with the same kind of shade making them all blend in, but also drawing your attention into every single detail. His colours are generally light but consist of very distinct pops of brightness in distinct places, which can often cause one to stop and wonder. On 30 January began his third exhibition at the Barefoot Gallery, showcasing his collection titled “Slave Island”. Barefoot CEO Dominic Sansoni is always astounded by his art and claims it is “absolutely current; shows where Sri Lankans are now”, and says that he is quite a fan. Hettiarachchi’s collection consists of everyday colours we witness every day but hardly ever notice. They show perceptions of growth and development, but also signs of opposition and negativity. However, he says that his work is open to interpretation by anybody. Hettiarachchi does not mind anyone looking at his work, enjoying it, and creating their own perception on what the art might represent. To him, the Slave Island collection is an expression of exactly that: Sri Lanka’s famous Slave Island also known as “Kompannavidiya” by locals. Hettiarachchi believes that Slave Island is a very appropriate location which represents the greatest problems of our country in present day. He, like us all, has noticed the vast and extreme changes that are currently in the process of taking place in Slave Island. His scrutinising eyes, designed to see the problems of the world, have identified that while the development is all good and jolly, there is a very grave downside to it – the places where all the great skyscrapers are coming up once had inhabitants of their own. What Hettiarachchi has identified is how these people now have nowhere to go. He says that they are given housing, but that is a process which takes an extremely long time, and what they ultimately describe is not as good as they deserve. He feels these people are forced to suffer unfairly with their livelihoods and daily routines getting destroyed; these people are completely disregarded, he believes. He saw this suffering of his fellow people and was inspired to express his sorrow through the pieces displayed through the collection Slave Island. This ability of expression had been a talent since childhood. However, he has not necessarily formerly obtained any education regarding art, which is truly shocking as his works looks as elite as the work of an artist who would have received formal education in an art school in Italy. He had participated in a few exhibitions in school as a student, but that was barely anything, he says. Although he was selected into the Arts Faculty of the University of Colombo, he had no desire to attend as he had to wait for about four years to start and he felt like it would bind his free artistic spirit. He says he has gained more knowledge than he would have through an institution with his experience in the real world. He has worked in advertising, which he says required a great amount of creativity he had been happy to use. He has also been part of a few political parties, where he fiddled with leftist ideas he still likes to entertain. He wishes to find an answer to the problems of the world, but he “always ends up with a dead end”. Hettiarachchi is determined that capitalistic ways would certainly not produce the right answer to this. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic with the knowledge that through his art, he is able to express himself and open eyes. Photos Eshan Dasanayaka