Annoushka born in London to a German mom and father born in Vienna of Czech/Russian parents, was raised with a French education at the French Lycee in South Kensington then went to an all girls’ English boarding school called Heathfield in the UK. She grew up in a very European part of London where most of her friends were from diverse nationalities. Annoushka’s mother was an avid artist and this is how she was born into the world of Art. She soon went on to University at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and completed a BA in Art History specializing in Africa and Asia. Years after Annoushka and husband Eduard had their second son, they decided to relocate to Sri Lanka and made Galle their home along with their two handsome sons. Last year Annoushka introduced the Colombo Art Biennale – an unusual concept in exhibiting Sri Lankan talent to the public, industry and international communities. For nearly a week back in 2009, the whole of Colombo was buzzing with this event. The main venue was in central Colombo comprising 14,000 sq ft of dramatic and impressive warehouse spaces which were filled with creative, contemporary and conceptual installation pieces that promise to be both impressively eye opening and interactive. As well as the main venue, there was a map route of several other Art Biennale destinations to visit around the city including galleries, street art, studios to name but a few. Beira Lake Island was used for special workshops and performances. The Art Biennale was a great success and was the very first contemporary Art Biennale in Colombo to show the world its strong and individual creative capacity.

Annoushka launched THE FORT GALLERY - a new Gallery with exhibition “Art at the Edge” and will continue to curate a rotation of several exhibitions of mixed media works including painting, photography, sculpture and installation. The first exhibition at the gallery showcased a selection of works by a selected group of Sri Lankan contemporary artists including participating artists from “Imagining Peace” the Colombo Art Biennale 2009. These will include names such as Anoma Wijewardene, Jagath Weeresinghe, Kingsley Gunetilleka, Cora de Lang, Anup Vega and Anoli Perera, to name but a few. Says Annoushka: “Opening a contemporary art gallery in Galle is yet another opportunity to give Sri Lankan contemporary artists the chance to be seen. There simply aren’t enough galleries in the country, while talented artists are simply abundant, easily outnumbering the spaces available to exhibit!”

Annoushka launched her first art gallery ‘Gallery 71’ in Galle Fort in 2003. This was her first endeavor at providing a space for Sri Lankan artists from around the country to show and sell their work. When the tsunami hit the coast of Sri Lanka in December 2004, Annoushka emptied the gallery and offered the entire building as headquarters to ‘PG05’ for a whole year, a tsunami relief program set up by Annoushka and six other Galle residents. “I am honored to have yet another opportunity to create a space to show the creative talent that is overflowing in this country. We need to give more importance to the medium and encourage both creativity and appreciation of Art”. Under Annoushka’s curatorship, the Fort Gallery will host a number of exciting artists’ works by new artists. Look out for works by up emerging artists, Ranjan Aluwihare and Aruna Vidanarachi.

Tell us about the new art gallery you opened in Galle?
The gallery in Galle opened with this year’s Galle Literary Festival in Galle Fort. The Gallery is part of a new Mobile Art Gallery concept called “Hempel Galleries” which is promoting both established and emerging Sri Lankan Artists both in Sri Lanka and overseas. The concept has been launched with a mixed show called “Art at the Edge” in Galle Fort and soon it will relocate to a new gallery venue in Colombo.

What has been the response and what plans do you have on promoting it to Sri Lankans and art enthusiasts around the world?
The response has been incredibly positive. Sri Lankan contemporary art has until now, been relatively un-exposed on a global level. Art from India, China, Pakistan as well as other Asian countries have already been seen and recognized and appreciated. Now it’s time for Sri Lankan art to be seen by the world.

“Hempel Galleries” already have plans underway to travel to London, Dubai and Hong Kong, thus maximizing the exposure of these well deserving and talented artists.

Name some of the local talent you showcase at the gallery and their background in art
Tough one. There are so many!!! Some of my personal favorites include Anoli Perera, Anoma Wijewardene, Jagath Weersinghe, Chandraguptha Thenuwara, Pala Polutpitiya, Bandu Manamperi, but there are many others.

Tell us your observations on Sri Lankan artists and their potential appeal in the international community?
Sri Lankan artists have a story to tell. Many stories to tell! A paradise island with deep spiritual roots as a background to war, the Tsunami, Politics are some aspects of their lives that have had a huge effect on the lives of everybody in Sri Lanka. It is these stories represented in their works which may have the most appeal to the international community.

Advice to budding artists
Just do it! Let go, be free in whichever form works for you. There is no actual definition for what is. Just create! I was recently contacted by a graffiti artist in Colombo (anonymous) who just amazed me!

Something you feel that Sri Lankans lack or should work harder at achieving in their work?
It’s going to be amazing to watch the work that will come from Sri Lankan artists as Sri Lanka opens to the World and the World opens to Sri Lanka.

What do you hope to do differently in the next Art Biennale?
Many things - the first one was certainly a learning curve. The next Colombo art biennale will be in 2011, it will be bigger, run for a longer period of time and with a greater international participation, including artists as well as international curators. We are also planning an art forum to include talks and discussion panels.

Have plans already begun and any sneak peeks at what we can expect?
Plans have already begun and great stuff in the pipeline but no sneak peeks yet I’m afraid!

Your personal style of art and what makes you most happy about it
Not into purely decorative art at all, it bores me! For me it is more important that an artwork is mentally, emotionally and physically stimulating than if it’s visually pleasing. Whenever I’ve bought anything because I like the look of it, that ‘like’ has been short lived and I’ve ended up passing it on. Love! Love! Love art with story. Controversial always works well for me! From a young age, I was attracted to and depicted myself often quite evocative and sometimes even harrowing work. Art is of course very personal and if it touches something within, it makes me happy. As an art collector I love it when a work that comes into my possession has the inspired creative energy of the artist.

A quote I would like to share that represents the ethos of both “Hempel Galleries” and “CAB” (Colombo Art Biennale) “At the heart of the project is a belief that art transcends linguistic, religious and political barriers and is often the most accessible point of connection between cultures.” (Edge of Arabia). The Fort Gallery can be visited at 36 Church Street, Galle Fort, Sri Lanka.