Photographic Societies of Sri Lanka
Cover of the Catalogue of 3rd International and 22nd Annual Exhibition Organised by the Photographic Society of Ceylon. 1956. (Source: The Daily FT, Colombo)
The Amateur Photographic Association of Ceylon was established by Henricus Lorenz Wendt in 1906, almost fifty years after the medium was introduced to the island. Sri Lanka’s first ever photography exhibition was put together by this organisation in 1907, after which it became an annual event. These exhibitions were held in collaboration with the Art Society of Colombo and continued until 1917.
Official Correspondences. 1950s. (Source: The Daily FT, Colombo)
This institution was then revived as the Photographic Society of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka) by his son, the ground-breaking photographer and pianist, Lionel Wendt in 1934. Connoisseurs of pictorial photography including his contemporaries Bernard G. Thornley, P.J.C. Durrant, Joe de Livera and B.P. Weerawardena were also active members of the society at the time. Lionel Wendt recommenced the annual exhibition with twelve photographers. This was later expanded and achieved a global dimension in 1954. These developments propelled the work of local photographers into the international arena.
Gay Abandon. (Lionel Wendt. Sri Lanka, c. 1930-40s. Sheet Fed Gravure. 6.75 x 10.5 inches. In Lionel Wendt’s Ceylon. London: Lincolns-Prager Publishers Ltd., 1950.)
After the death of Lionel Wendt in 1944, the society has been housed at his residence, Alborado, which was converted into the Lionel Wendt Centre for the Arts in the 1950s. With well-equipped dark rooms and a studio, this multi-purpose cultural centre is also an important site for the modern photographic movement as it served as a regular meeting place for the early members of the forum.
Invaded…Desolate: According to Manel Fonseka, this image of a leaning signpost in Sri Lanka was titled by Wendt as The Point Beyond Which Everything Repeats Itself. It is perhaps symbolic that the editors of Lionel Wendt’s Ceylon re-titled the picture Invaded…Desolate. (Lionel Wendt. Sri Lanka, c. 1930-40s. In Lionel Wendt’s Ceylon. London: Lincolns-Prager Publishers Ltd., 1950.)
Some other societies were formed after Sri Lanka’s independence—such as the National Photographic Art Society of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka) in 1950 by Wilson Hegoda, another pioneer of Sri Lankan photography. This society played a pivotal role in propagating an educational interest in the medium among young enthusiasts through regular classes, diploma courses, workshops and seminars. One of its significant projects was to organise free photography classes in Sinhala in the late 1950s. In 1961, they published the island’s first vernacular monthly photography journal Camera, which was later renamed Lanka Camera.
Another relatively recent organisation is the National Association of Photographers - Sri Lanka, founded in 1980. In the following year, they held the first ever colour photographic exhibition in Sri Lanka.
Much like the early photographic societies in other British colonies, the advances and efforts made by the above-mentioned organisations played a pivotal role in accelerating the rise of the photography and other lens-based practices in the island.
Disclaimer: All reasonable efforts have been made to contact and credit the sources for these illustrations. The references are appropriately credited to the best of our knowledge and ability.
