The series of small woven tapestries explore the notion of ‘home’ to an artist born in Sri Lanka who migrated to Australia at a young age.
Yala Tapestry
Weligama Garden
Kalpitiya View
Cresside Collette is the pioneer of en plein air tapestry and daughter of Sri Lankan modern artist, Aubrey Collette, a member of the renowned 43 Group. Collette weaves tapestries that are inspired by the Sri Lankan landscape. Collette departs from the norms of weaving – a delicate process practised indoors using yarns or thread. In this collection, she reproduces stunning Sri Lankan scenery, in acute detail, on small tapestries.
Every time I return to the country of my birth, my senses are awakened to that familiarity…
Cresside Collette
“Why is it that our earliest influ-ences remain so potent in our lives? Everything that touches our senses as young children remains an enduring part of us, whether we choose to put it to one side during our evolution into adulthood or not”, states Collette. “Every time I return to the country of my birth, my senses are awakened to that familiarity, no longer foreign but an essential part of my being. I smell the ripe pungence of the air on arrival. The warmth envelops me in its stifling embrace. I hear the accents that surround me and I slip into the sing song easily, tailoring my own speech patterns to identify with them. The tastes have never left me – in 55 years my own culinary practice pays homage to the spices and techniques that bind me to this island. And above all, all that I see is imprinted on my psyche as I seek out the visual treasure that informs my art practice. And so where is ‘home’ really? Those of us who have lived our lives separated from our birthplace dwell in limbo, longing to belong. I can feel Australian in many aspects of my life but not completely. I was planted in a different soil, grew and reached for the sun in a different climate, absorbed the culture and manners of a different society as I grew. It will always be part of me, and yet is lost to me as the country I knew as a child has evolved into something other,” she further emphasised.
Till March 7; Saskia Fernando Gallery 41 Horton Place, Colombo 7;(+9411) 742 9010
Opening hours: 10am to 6pm daily and closed on Poya days
