Kala Pola, Sri Lanka’s Annual Open-Air Art Fair, was held on 18th February 2024, marking 31 years since its inception. Conceptualised by the George Keyt Foundation in 1993, the event has, since 1994, been held with the continued patronage and implementation support of the John Keells Group.
Kala Pola provides the country’s largest platform for visual artists to connect with buyers and the art community, providing both a marketplace and a space for knowledge transfer and collaboration, furthering the creative economy of the nation.
This year’s event showcased the works of over 350 local artists hailing from the different provinces of Sri Lanka.His Excellency Santosh Jha, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, graced the official ceremony of the event as the Chief Guest.
- Kala Pola, Sri Lanka’s annual open-air art fair, marks its 31st anniversary on 18th February 2024, celebrating over three decades of fostering the livelihoods of Sri Lankan visual artists.
- Kala Pola takes inspiration from the world-famous outdoor art fairs in Montmartre, Paris, and the Turl Street Art Festival in Oxford and has evolved as an eagerly awaited event of the art and culture calendar of Sri Lanka.
- This uncurated visual art fair aims to consistently elevate the visitor experience, expanding its reach to include more artists and attract a broader audience of both local and international art enthusiasts, consequently generating increased participation and income for the artists, not only through sales at the event but also through potential commissions thereafter.
- The event’s success also stems from its networking and learning opportunities, with Kala Pola being an event at which artists from different levels of seniority and provinces of Sri Lanka converge, fostering an environment of collaboration.
- The John Keells Group has funded and co-organised the event over the past three decades which has enabled Kala Pola to sustain and evolve. Kala Pola is now a major tourist attraction having established itself as one of Colombo’s iconic art events. The Sri Lankan Art Gallery – a digital art gallery hosted by John Keells Foundation free of charge to artists – provides a year-round platform for visual artists to showcase their work and engage with buyers.
- The John Keells Group also strives to showcase and promote the economic potential of the country’s creative economy while supporting the development of an ecosystem that nurtures creativity.
