On View

23 January–11 February 2026
The Stables, Park Street Mews, Colombo 2

‘Three Songs of Ceylon’ takes as its starting point a propaganda film titled ‘The Song of Ceylon’ (1934) commissioned under British colonial rule.

This exhibition traces how, in the decades that followed, two artists re-visited this film from two distinct vantage points, each producing an alternate ‘song’ as a response.

By bringing together each of these three songs of Ceylon into conversation with recent moving image works by contemporary artists, this exhibition explores how stories are told, retold, and unsettled through the medium of moving images.

‘Three Songs of Ceylon’ is presented as part of the Art Exchange: Moving Image programme, which is supported by the British Council and organised by LUX and Art South Asia Project. The exhibition is generously supported by Park Street Mews, Goethe Institut Sri Lanka, Fulbright Sri Lanka and American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies. The MMCA Sri Lanka is supported by their Major Benefactor, John Keells Foundation, and the MMCA Sri Lanka Founding Patrons.

Bani Abidi
Basil Wright
Imaad Majeed
John Grierson
Laleen Jayamanne
Lionel Wendt
Mark LaPore
Rosalind Nashashibi
Sharika Navamani
Walter Leigh

Curated by Sandev Handy, assisted by Thinal Sajeewa and Nimaya Harris

Exhibition Design by Jonathan Edward assisted by Raeesah Samsudeen and
Shamod Dilshan

Exhibition Production by Malshani Delgahapitiya with Hussain and Hassan Nizam

Editorial by Kaumadi Jayaweera

Translations by Ambikai Forman, Kaumadi Alawathugoda, Miriam Naveendran, Piyumi Wattuhewa, and Shiyalini Janarthanan