Nihal Fernando: Journey and Legacy: Exploring Connections Through Shared Perspectives

30 January - 6 February 2025

Photographing his island home was the ‘personal odyssey’ of Nihal Fernando (1927-2015), founder Director of Studio Times Pvt Ltd., who used his photographs to spur his countrymen to explore this island in the hope that they would protect all that he treasured. He was also a farmer who believed that the future of this country lay in sustainable agriculture, an environmentalist who fought to save Sinharaja and Eppawela and a supporter of the arts and artists. 

Many are those who have accompanied Nihal Fernando on his journeys and been inspired by his work ethic. Following in his footsteps the former Studio Times photographers Maxi Decker, Luxshmanan Nadaraja, Mithra Weerakone and Charith Pelpola have imbibed much from him. Channa Ekanayake, Dominic Sansoni and Sarinda Unamboowe too have travelled with him. Other photographers and artists, whose images are featured in this exhibition, have been inspired by the Studio Times Exhibitions and Publications. 

In the early 1960’s Nihal Fernando held exhibitions of Contemporary Art at the Studio Times premises, in an attempt “to do something constructive and useful to encourage artists, however humble or difficult their circumstances or conditions in life, to place their work before genuine lovers and patrons of art and culture in an atmosphere free from disdain, discord and the dialectics of differing ‘schools’.” (Exhibition Catalogue, 1965)

It is this creative and inspirational spirit of Nihal Fernando that we commemorate today, while exploring the connections through shared perspectives of artists and photographers who journeyed, in every sense of the word, with Nihal Fernando.

 

Studio Times photographers: 

Pat Decker, Maxie Decker, Mithra Weerakone, Luxshmanan Nadaraja & Charith Pelpola

 

Exhibiting artists:

 Asela Abeywardene, Channa Ekanayake, Sumudu Ellepola, Chandika Gunesekara, Nimalsiri Jayasena, Hiranya Malwatta, Salome Nanayakkara, Thisaru Prabashwara, Ruwan Prasanga, Dominic Sansoni, Kavindu Sathsara, Kasun de Silva, Charlene Thuring, Sarinda Unamboowe, Shane Walgama, and Karunasiri Wijesinghe

 

Proceeds from this Exhibition will be shared with the artists, and a portion will be donated towards environmental projects. 

The legacy of Nihal Fernando continues.