Colombo, Wednesday 07th January 2009. Sri Lanka’s popular open-air art gallery cum art fair, ‘Kala Pola’, comes alive this year at 10.00 am on Sunday, 25th January 2009 on the pavements of Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha in Colombo 07 (opposite the National Art Gallery). Conceptualized by the George Keyt Foundation, Kala Pola enjoys the unbroken patronage of the John Keells Group for the 16th consecutive year.

This year’s Kala Pola will feature over 250 artists and sculptors who will display their creativity to an increasingly appreciative Sri Lankan and expatriate clientele, in an infectious atmosphere filled with music, song, fun and contagious bonhomie.

While Kala Pola initially took off from the concept of open air summer art fairs in European capitals, like the legendary Montmartre in Paris, the underlying rationale for its existence goes beyond the search for fascinating colour, exuberance and camaraderie. Kala Pola is, more importantly, a valuable forum for artists and sculptors to launch and boost their careers, build a steady clientele, and thereby promote art as a lucrative and professional career. Many artists have been successful in this regard and have gone onto launch careers in the international arena after showcasing their work at Kala Pola.

President of the George Keyt Foundation, Cedric de Silva said, “Kala Pola had a very humble beginning more than one and a half decades ago and has now grown into a national event. It attracts hundreds of artists and sculptors from all parts of the island and gives them the unique opportunity of showcasing their work to a very large number of buyers. This is, indeed, a boon to these highly talented, yet very simple men and women, some of whom may not be able to exhibit in Colombo’s regular art galleries.”

Added Sumithra Gunesekera, Director, John Keells Holdings, “John Keells Social Responsibility Foundation is strongly committed to supporting the arts and culture of our country. We consider it an honour to extend our patronage for the 16th successive year to Kala Pola – certainly, one of the most celebrated events in Sri Lanka's cultural calendar. Kala Pola is all about creating opportunities for budding artists, island wide, to display their work and launch their careers. I am also very happy to note that Kala Pola is a good source of income for these artists, empowering them financially and encouraging them to pursue their careers. Their talent, dedication to their artistry and determination to succeed are certainly an inspiration. We believe that nurturing the arts is essential to preserving the soul of society and that it is our responsibility to keep the arts alive.”

John Keells Social Responsibility Foundation is the CSR arm of the John Keells Group, dedicated to making a positive difference in and enriching the communities in which the Group operates. The Foundation has continued to espouse and implement sustainable initiatives under various focus areas of corporate responsibility, earning the company the award of ‘Best Corporate Citizen 2007’, given by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Commencing at 10.00 am, Kala Pola 2009 will continue throughout the day, bringing a kaleidoscope of colour, sights and sounds to the heart of Colombo, until dusk settles over the city.