In November and December 2024 and January 2025, over 460 community leaders across seven districts in Sri Lanka joined a series of 15 regional workshops conducted by the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka). Organised in partnership with the Supporting Effective Dispute Resolution (SEDR) project, which is funded by the European Union (EU), these workshops engaged participants from Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Ampara, Monaragala, Jaffna, and Badulla.
The workshops aimed to enhance awareness of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and equip community leaders, educators, and youth with tools to navigate disputes and conflicts related to land in Sri Lanka. By incorporating arts-based methodologies, the workshops encouraged participants to explore new pathways for understanding, empathy, and solidarity.
The workshops, which were held in Tamil and Sinhala languages, were conducted by Kalyani Sundaralingam, Thamilini Siththiravadivel, and Bavaneedha Loganathan. These facilitators were part of the Dialogue and Civic Engagement Fellowship programme, set up by the MMCA Sri Lanka in partnership with the SEDR project. Amalini De Sayrah, Project Manager at the MMCA Sri Lanka, remarked, “Our three Fellows are arts and cultural practitioners with experience in using creative expression to explore difficult stories. We brought them on because we were excited to see how their experience would support the work this Fellowship is meant to do, and we were thrilled to see the resulting enthusiasm from the community.”
The Fellows created three distinct workshop models which guided participants through reflective and practical exercises. The workshops included sessions which highlighted the distinction between debate and dialogue in dispute resolution and explored the dynamics of entrenched conflicts, along with sessions where the participants designed and practised generative questions which are key to facilitating meaningful conversations.
The most anticipated session in each workshop involved specially commissioned artworks from the first rotation of the MMCA Sri Lanka’s ongoing exhibition ‘Total Landscaping’. These artworks included Jasmine Nilani Joseph’s (b.1990) ‘DS Waiting Room’ (2024), Anomaa Rajakaruna’s (b.1965) ‘No More Land’ (2024), and Hanusha Somasundaram’s (b.1988) ‘நகரும் நிலங்கள்’ (2024).
The commissioned artworks played a vital role in the workshops, bringing a unique level of curiosity and engagement than the usual engagement models used for community dialogue. Sandev Handy, Senior Curator at the MMCA Sri Lanka, noted that, “The workshops received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants. The artworks provoked a larger, reflective conversation, during which participants shared moving personal stories that reframed the discussion on conflict.” He added that, “These narratives offered glimpses into the experiences that had shaped participants’ views and beliefs, rather than repeating already entrenched positions.”
Jacques Carstens, Team Leader of the SEDR project, highlighted the importance of the initiative, stating that “Through the ‘Arts 4 ADR’ project, we have seen how alternative dispute resolution can be strengthened by integrating arts-based approaches. The engagement, reflection, and dialogue that emerged in these workshops demonstrate the power of creative expression in fostering understanding and social cohesion.” He added that, “We are proud to support this collaboration, which has provided community leaders with new tools to navigate complex disputes in their regions.”
Participants were encouraged to develop their own arts-based community interventions by identifying other artworks in their community, ranging from TikTok videos to photography to paintings. “It was incredibly meaningful to witness the discussions that were sparked by these interventions within their communities, reinforcing the idea that the art is anything but docile,” Handy added.
Reflecting on the experience, De Sayrah added that, “People are often used to being lectured on their problems and told how to resolve them. In this case, the presentation of the artwork in a unique format sparked genuine enthusiasm and discussion.”
The MMCA Sri Lanka continues to champion education-led initiatives. It strives to establish a public museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, to benefit the general public, schools, and tourists. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except on Poya days and public holidays) at Crescat Boulevard, Colombo 3. Entrance to the museum and all its public programmes is free. For more information about MMCA Sri Lanka’s exhibitions and public programmes, visit www.mmca-srilanka.org or follow the museum on Facebook at facebook.com/mmcasrilanka and Instagram at instagram.com/mmcasrilanka.
