Pablo Picasso once said ‘the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls,’ a sentiment that resonates with artist Nisansala Karunaratne Rajapaksa, whose aim is to bring a little peace into people’s lives with her work.

Showing a talent for art from early childhood, Nisansala went on to pursue a degree in fine arts from the San Jose State University in California, where she gained a thorough knowledge of fine arts and photography, allowing her to broaden her scope to include other forms of art apart from painting. Returning to Sri Lanka, she lectured at the Universities of Colombo and Moratuwa, alongside her work as a creative director and book designer, before gaining her master’s at the Post Graduate Institute of Pali & Buddhist Studies.

She then opened her own gallery, Casa Serena in Colombo 5, drawing on inspiration received during her time spent in a 300-acre forest monastery in California, which she says was ‘serene and soothing’. In fact, most of her work reflects a sense of calmness, an aspect that many have commented on. This state of serenity is the theme of her exhibition later this month.

The exhibition, her seventh solo display, is in collaboration with the Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This won’t be the first time she has tied up with them, having been involved in quite a few projects since 2019, even visiting Bangladesh to conduct art camps. The High Commission also works closely with the Cancer Care Association, a non-profit organisation founded by Nisansala’s husband Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa, that is dedicated to the physical and mental wellbeing of cancer patients. A previous project was an art camp with the hospice, where they provided the residents with food and medication while another was to give schoolbags and materials to children of cancer patients. Nisansala has also created greeting cards featuring traditional Bangladeshi saree motifs to raise funds.

Always passionate about being a social activist and getting involved in the community, she says this stems from her younger days as her father was also deeply involved in social service. She found someone who shared the same passion in her husband who specialises in palliative care. While based in Anuradhapura, he encountered conditions that were devastating to observe, prompting a firm resolve to start a hospice. His determination fuelled his five-day walk from Anuradhapura to Colombo, to collect funds and raise awareness.

The result was the establishment of a hospice in Anuradhapura that now provides round-the-clock care for 46 patients as well as meals and medication. The association which currently has around 5000 volunteers also provides schoolchildren with one meal a day. A second hospice has also been opened in Matara.

Nisansala uses her art to raise awareness for this cause – her previous exhibition was dedicated to the Chemotherapy Port Project for Paediatric Cancer Patients and raised Rs. 1.7 million. The upcoming exhibition will also be in aid of the Cancer Care Association.

She also wants to do what she can to ‘soothe the minds and souls’ of Sri Lankans and instil a sense of calm and relaxation to take people’s minds away from the current difficulties they may be experiencing. She thinks of it as taking a small break to refresh the mind and then going back to looking at the problem at hand with fresh eyes. “As a country, we are facing a rough time. It is so hard for all of us to tackle, but we have to tackle it well so we should have the right mindset.”

She has had her share of sceptics questioning the timing of the exhibition. She shrugs, “Some people are asking me if this is the time to do this, and I said this IS the time, that was my answer!”

There are many ways of aiding communities, raising awareness, and bringing peace to people and art just happens to be one of them, she says. “Through art, that is what we can do. Then again, this is not the only way but it is one way and my way of doing so.”