by Melani Manel Perera

Chandraguptha Thenuwara exhibited 15 works of a "political" nature. The exhibition was open 24 to 29 July. The artist: "The war is over, but there is no peace yet. We must not forget about the past, we must participate in the peace process. There are several obstacles to overcome. "

Colombo (AsiaNews) - From July 24 to 29 last Chandraguptha Thenuwara created an exhibition in Colombo to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the massacre of 3 thousand Tamil, known as Black July. The exhibition "Vigil" and other works was housed in the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. Among the 15 works were paintings, drawings and installations.

Black July recalls the riots in July 1983 between Tamil and Sinhalese, after the killing of 13 civilians by LTTE. The Sinhalese, in response, killed 3 thousand Tamils and burned hundreds of homes. Many historians believe that black July marked the beginning of the civil war between the government and LTTE, which ended in May 2009 with the victory of the national army.

"With this exhibition - Thenuwara tells AsiaNews - I wanted to commemorate those events. A 30-year war is over, but there is still no peace. We must be aware of our actions and we should not forget the past so easily. We must participate in the peace process because there are several obstacles that must still be overcome".

"My shows - continues the artist - are always political, social awareness is very important for me. I think it is my responsibility".

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