You are invited for the free and trilingual April 2024 public programmes by the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka). These events have been specially curated to deeply engage the audiences with the pioneering work of Sri Lanka’s first woman architect Minnette De Silva (1918–1998), and the museum’s current exhibition ‘88 Acres: The Watapuluwa Housing Scheme by Minnette De Silva’.
You too can get to know De Silva and her Watapuluwa Housing Scheme better through a variety of formats including artist-led tours, exhibition tours in multiple languages, and a unique workshop that merges architecture with autobiographical writing.
The Exhibition Tours led by the Visitor Educators of the MMCA Sri Lanka will help you gain insight into ‘88 Acres’. These tours will be held in Tamil, English, and Sinhala at the following times:
- Tamil: Saturday, 6 April, from 11 am–12 pm
- English: Sunday, 7 April and Sunday, 21 April, from 11 am–12 pm
- Sinhala: Saturday, 20 April, from 11 am–12 pm
On Saturday, 6 April from 3–5 pm Kanya D’Almeida will be leading participants 18 years and above, to remember their homes as an abstract and physical space of memories through autobiographical writing. This workshop is inspired by Minnette De Silva’s own writing on her projects and personal life.
The Artists’ Tour will be held on Saturday, 27th April from 3–5 pm, led by contemporary artists Irushi Tennekoon, Sumedha Kelegama, and Sumudu Athukorala, whose specially commissioned animated documentary ‘is this an architectural documentary?’ (2023) is on display in ‘88 Acres’. This artists’ film offers a contemporary perspective on De Silva’s Watapuluwa Housing Scheme 66 years after it was built, and this Tour promises to extend those insights to visitors in a direct and engaging manner.
All public programmes at the MMCA Sri Lanka are free, and prior registration on the Museum’s Eventbrite page is required. So come and soak up the art vibes! For more information and updates, please visit the MMCA Sri Lanka website at www.mmca-srilanka.org or follow them on Facebook (facebook.com/mmcasrilanka) and Instagram (instagram.com/mmcasrilanka).