Sketch a portrait. Paint a wall. Wear a colourful shoe. Photograph a leaping panther attacking its prey. Eat a scrumptiously sinful cupcake. That is what art is. All shapes, sizes, elements, colours and experiences.
Born in a warehouse, now a restaurant popularly known as Park Street Mews, ArtWalk was introduced to the streets of Colombo in 2008. Arousing the curiosity of many a talented artist and inspiring individuals, ArtWalk rallied together a group of amateurs and professionals with creativity and enthusiasm exceeding all artistic boundaries. The concept was simple yet challenging. The idea was to incorporate and portray all forms of art on human models. The designers showcased epic masterpieces made out of anything and everything, from hardware material to newspaper collages, floral arrangements to baby bling, batiks to canvas paintings, illuminating the runway with a myriad of colour, sound and talent.
We took ArtWalk to a whole new dimension in 2009, where Colombo witnessed a ramp on the street for the first time, with music livening up the city. The models were clad in insane fashion concoctions, strutting down the runway, the wind in their hair. Futuristic clothing, enamel and canvas art, murals and designer jeans by LICC, a touch of Indian flavor, gypsies and queens, and angels and demons are what completed ArtWalk 2009.
This year, we further challenge our artistic abilities by incorporating a theme reflecting some of our childhood addictions – Jigsaw Puzzles. No one piece is the same, but when placed correctly it fits perfectly together to create a beautiful picture. ArtWalk will focus on bringing together very different types of artistic talents, forms and personalities. Each individual contribution will be an integral component to the overall production.
The aim is to illustrate how these different artistic styles can fuse together to yield a much larger and effective creative outcome. Each artist will showcase their individual talent, keeping in mind and working within a much larger artistic framework. This culmination will create the final piece.
It is important to realise that the entire show is being put together by the artist themselves, with help from experienced individuals in all artistic fields.
Over the years, the participants of ArtWalk have grown to become a family, with the circle of friendship and talent expanding each and every year. Bringing to one stage talent and personalities from all walks of life, the show paves the way for all those involved to identify, learn from, and respect the various artistic viewpoints similar or different to each other. We believe in working together, laughing too much, and making the show a success not only in terms of artistic display, but also by creating epic memories meant to last the million summers ahead.
Be a part of the puzzle this year. ArtWalk 2010 – you don’t want to miss out. Trust me on that.
