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When I started this photographic
project, my concept was to visually recognize and celebrate the impact
that these women entrepreneurs have had in the lives of their family,
community and country. Being in Sri Lanka and personally finding out
more about their stories convinced me of the importance of their role in
preserving the traditions and values of the culture, while at the same
time reshaping their roles and social/economic impact. These women are
indeed both products and producers of cultural change!
The seventeen businesses I photographed ranged from traditional arts such
as batik and jewelry making, to modern businesses of pizza making and an
internet "CyberCafe". Regardless of the type of business,
the crucial role of the women in sustaining the family and homemaking was
apparent. Several of the women involved their daughters in the business,
training and mentoring them through their teenage and young adult years,
to help sustain the business. Both the primary women entrepreneurs
and families exhibited a deep sense of pride in their accomplishments!
As I met and photographed the women, I was impressed by their resilience
and creativity at a time of changing economic status, either due to
changes in the political/economic situation or their own personal
circumstances, as well as their interdependence with others on their
island and the global economy. As a visitor to Sri Lanka, I was also
struck with the common threads that these women share with women in my
culture. I am pleased to include glimpses into their lives via visual
images and personal quotes that they shared during our time together.
My experience in Sri Lanka was also enriched greatly through the
hospitality and warmth of the Wijenaike family. I feel fortunate to
have had the opportunity to personally visit with them for three weeks,
and feel the sense of family, tradition and spirituality that is so
important in the Sri Lankan culture. These too are represented in
this exhibition.
Transformations: Images of Sri Lanka offers personal glimpses into the
diversity and history in the lives of the people of Sri Lanka, juxtaposing
the traditional and modern, the exotic and the commonplace, the Asian and
global influences. I have included photographs and products to
convey a diverse spectrum of women entrepreneurs and the broader community
and the many changes that are occurring in this island culture.
I am especially pleased to be able to exhibit drawings from the Tappawana
Monastery Boys' Home, which convey through rich color and astute detail
many of the traditions and modern challenges during this time of
transformation.
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