Beautification: A Highly Ironical Title For An Immensely Provocative Exhibition

By Janaka Samarakoon -July 27, 2013 

Janaka Samarakoon

Thenuwara

Beautification. Another “B” word for Chandraguptha Thenuwara, some 15 years after unveiling the first… But Thenuwara, this assiduous killjoy of the pseudo-democratic, post-war political space of this country, has still much to yell at and to oppose to and he does so with the same vehemence he stunned us with as a budding artist back then.

Beautification is at first glance pretty disconcerting. More or less like any other Thenuwara Exhibition has been over the past 15 odd years. But even for the hardcore Thenuwara fan, this year’s vintage is highly startling. How so?

We remember that we left Thenuwara last year with his minimal /conceptual series (e.g. This is not a white flag, Oil on canvass, 2012). These paintings were of course as satirical and politically committed as ever. But on an aesthetical point of view, I had some issues with them. I found them superficial and was afraid that the trouble-making ogre of Sri Lankan contemporary art had found comfort in a facile practice of art, driven only by the mojo of his iconic career.

I was wrong. Here he comes this year with Beautification, arguably the most innovative collection of works since that famous exhibition which popularized that “B” word, back in 1997.   Read More  
  

Ethics: A Christian Perspective

By Ranil Jayantha Wijeyesekera -July 28, 2013 

Ranil Jayantha Wijeyesekera

From the beginning man had within him some knowledge of right or wrong.  God gave man a revelation of the standards of conduct he required in human relationships, and a person’s conscience judged him according to these standards.  This was so even when the person had rejected the knowledge of God ( Rom 1;21-23; 2:14 -15, cf Matt 7-11).

How should we live? Shall we aim at happiness or at knowledge, virtue or the creation of beautiful objects? If we choose happiness, will it be our own or the happiness of all? How should we live? Shall we aim at happiness or at knowledge, virtue, or the creation of beautiful or more particular questions that face us: Is it right to be dishonest in a good cause? Can we justify living in opulence while elsewhere in the world people are starving? If conscripted to fight in a war we do not support, should we disobey the law? What are our obligations to the other creatures with whom we share this planet and to the generations of humans who will come after us?

Although ethics has always been viewed as a branch of philosophy, its all-embracing practical nature links it with many other areas of study, including anthropology, biology, economics, history, politics, sociology, and theology. Yet, ethics remains distinct from such disciplines because it is not a matter of factual knowledge in the way that the sciences and other branches of inquiry are. Rather, it has to do with determining the nature of normative theories and applying these sets of principles to practical moral problems.

The Christian contribution to improving the position of slaves can also be linked with the distinctively Christian list of virtues. Some of the virtues described by Aristotle, as, for example, greatness of soul, are quite contrary in spirit to Christian virtues such as humility. In general, it can be said that the Greeks and Romans prized independence, self-reliance, magnanimity, and worldly success. By contrast, Christians saw virtue in meekness, obedience, patience, and resignation.         Read More