Conceptualised by The George Keyt Foundation and launched in 1993 with only 35 artists, Kala Pola has enjoyed the unbroken patronage of Sri Lanka’s premier conglomerate the John Keells Group since 1994. It has evolved as a popular annual event in the Sri Lankan Art Calendar, hosting approximately 300 painters and sculptors from various parts of the country and over 20,000 visitors both local and foreign each year.
While Kala Pola was initially inspired by the concept of open air summer art fairs in European capitals like the legendary Montmartre in Paris, the underlying rationale for its existence goes beyond the search for fascinating colour, exuberance and camaraderie.
The primary objective of Kala Pola is to provide a platform to launch and sustain the careers of talented artists and sculptors, foster the development of a clientele, facilitate the exchange of ideas among artists for collective growth in style and genres, and promote art as a potent and professional career. Over the years, Kala Pola has also become a reputed means of popularizing the appreciation and patronage of visual art by the general public in a fun-filled atmosphere of music and camaraderie.
In recent years Kala Pola has showcased approximately 300 artists per year generating over Rs.13 Million in sales (for which John Keells Foundation takes no commission). The event attracts an increasing number of visitors both local and foreign each year with recent figures estimated over 22,000. Many Kala Pola artists have gone on to carve out successful careers in the local and international arena.
