Artist Ena de Silva is recognized for reinterpreting the art of batik in Sri Lanka, the ancient practice of creating elaborate colourful patterns on fabric by hand, using wax and dye. The country’s long history as a trading centre, strategically located at the core of trade routes in the Indian Ocean, formed a textile market that was connected to different traditions. However, by the end of the nineteenth century, Dutch industrialization, which mechanized the batik process to produce printed imitations, began to replace local textile production. It was not until the mid-twentieth century, in the decade after independence from Britain in 1948, that a group of artists revitalized traditional forms and techniques to create a new contemporary language specific to Sri Lanka, which de Silva contributed to. She set up her studio in Colombo in 1961, and in the years that followed, she reworked the batik tradition, engaging in various collaborations. De Silva created pieces that emphasized local motifs, incorporating the flora and fauna of Sri Lanka’s forests. Her works evolved spatially and unfolded in conversation with architecture, such as her batik wall hangings, ceiling panels, or large banners, included in Musafiri: Of Travellers and Guests, whose format references Buddhist and Hindu medieval temple banners. De Silva’s long-term collaboration with the architect Geoffrey Bawa, which began with the joint design of her house in Colombo in the early 1960s, merged modern and local architectural forms that responded to the climate, expressing a situated language that is often referred to as Tropical Modernism.

Works in the exhibition:
WALPANE DISAWAGE MAYURA KODIYA (c.1985/2023), this and all following works wax resist dye on cloth, 120 × 91.5 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
IRA HANDA KODIYA (c.1985/2023), 120 × 91.5 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
MAHANUWARA NARASINHA KODIYA (c.1985/2023), 120 × 91.5cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
NUWARA KALAVIYA GAJASINHA KODIYA (c.1985/2023), 120 × 91.5 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
KATARAGAMA KODIYA (c.1987/2024), 91.4 × 193 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
KATARAGAMA KODIYA (c.1987/2024), 91.4 × 193 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
KATARAGAMA KODIYA (c.2010/2024), 149.9 × 109.2 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
IRA HANDA KODIYA (c.1970/2024), 579.2 × 152.4 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
BERUNDA PAKSHIYA (c.1975/2017), 457.5 × 137 cm. Private collection of Channa Daswatte
TREE OF LIFE (c.1970), 147.3 x 111.8 cm. Collection of the Ena de Silva Foundation
TREE OF LIFE (c.1994/1995/2024), 200 × 127 cm. Collection of the Aluwihare Heritage Centre
TREE OF LIFE (c.2012/c.2016), 309.2 × 195.6 cm. Private collection of Channa Daswatte
TREE OF LIFE (1973), 182.9 × 76.2 cm, in collaboration with Padmini Jayasinghe. Private collection of Malaka Talwatte
ATH KANDA LIHINIYA (c.1970/2017), 526.8 × 247 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort
BERUNDA PAKSHIYA (c.1975/2017), 527 × 246 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort
BERUNDA PAKSHIYA (c.1975/2017), 734 × 242 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort
UNTITLED (c.2000/2017), 756.3 × 246.3 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort
UNTITLED (c.2000/2017), 759 × 248 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort
UNTITLED (c.1990/2017), 337.8 × 182.9 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort
UNTITLED (c.1990/2017), 337.8 × 182.9 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort
UNTITLED (c.1990/2017), 337.8 × 182.9 cm. Collection of Anantara Kalutara Resort