Laki Senanayake (18 December 1937 - 30 May 2021) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n sculptor and painter. He was known for his metal sculptures, often of birds. He worked closely with architect

Geoffrey Bawa Deshamanya Geoffrey Manning Bawa, (23 July 191927 May 2003) was a Sri Lankan architect. Often referred to as the leader of the Tropical Modernist movement, he was among the most influential Asian architects of his generation. Early life Geoff ...

, working for and subsequently being commissioned by Bawa for several projects.

Personal life

Born in 1937, the son of Reginald S. Vincent and Florence Senanayake, he was the fifth of six children. His father, a planter by profession, was a

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

and a founding member of the

Lanka Sama Samaja Party The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, often abbreviated as LSSP ( literally: Lanka Equal Society Party, Sinhala: ලංකා සම සමාජ පක්ෂය, Tamil: லங்கா சமசமாஜக் கட்சி), is a major Trotskyist po ...

(LSSP), serving as its treasurer from 1935 to 1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, his father went into hiding and was later arrested and detained by the British colonial administration due to the anti-war position espoused by the LSSP. Released after the war, Senanayake's father died in 1946. His mother took on her husband's political activities and was elected as the first female member of parliament in 1947. Senanayake grew up in rural countryside due to the war and political activities of his parents. He received his secondary education at

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo also known as; Royal Colombo, Colombo Royal College or Colombo Royal) is a Single-sex education, boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started by Joseph Marsh (priest), Joseph Mar ...

, where he won the annual art competition. He married Ranjini Perera in 1962. They had a daughter, Mintaka before they separated, and Ranjini migrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Senanayake died on 30 May 2021 on his estate, Diyabubula, in

Dambulla Dambulla ( ''Dam̆bulla'', ''Tampuḷḷai'') is a city situated in the north of Matale District, in Sri Lanka's Central Province. It is the second largest populated and urbanised centre after Matale in the Matale District. It is situated ...

, at the age of 84.

Career

Following his schooling, Senanayake found work as an assistant in an architect's office, however he was soon sacked for organising his co-workers to form a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

. He was then employed by

as a draughtsman, having noticed his talents. He soon developed close relationship with artists such as

Bevis Bawa Major Bevis William Frederick Bawa, ADC, CLI (26 April 1909 – 18 September 1992) was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) planter, soldier and a landscaper. He was also one of the most renowned landscape architects in Sri Lanka and served as the Aide-de- ...

Donald Friend Donald Stuart Leslie Friend (6 February 1915 – 16 August 1989) was an Australian artist and diarist who lived much of his life overseas. He has been the subject of controversy since the posthumous publication of diaries in which he wrote about ...

Ulrik Plesner Ulrik Adolph Plesner, usually known as Ulrik Plesner (17 May 1861 in Vedersø – 22 November 1933 in Skagen) was an innovative Danish architect who designed in a National Romantic style at the beginning of the 20th century. He is remembered in p ...

Barbara Sansoni Kala Suri Barbara Sansoni (22 April 1928 – 23 April 2022) was a Sri Lankan designer, artist, colourist, entrepreneur, and writer. She was known for her works in architecture, textile designs, and handwoven panels. She founded the Barefoot t ...

and

Ena de Silva Ena de Silva (née Aluwihare) (22 October 1922 – 29 October 2015) was a notable Sri Lankan artist, credited with re-establishing the country's batik industry. She was renowned for her skillsets in the design of batiks and handicrafts and p ...

who had a close relationship with Bawa. By the 1970s Senanayake had established himself as an independent artist.

Notable works

* Ceylon Pavilion, 1970 World Expo,

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan - bronze

Bodhi The English term ''enlightenment'' is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably ''bodhi'' and ''vimutti''. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi'') means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakene ...

-leaf (1970) * Ceylonese currency - bank note design - endemic flora and fauna (1979) * Indo-Suez Bank, Colombo - ceiling drawings (1979) * Triton Hotel,

Ahungalla Ahungalla is a small coastal town, located in Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is approximately south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of above the sea level. History Ahungalla is known p ...

- brass and plaster reliefs (1981) * Parliament building,

Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (), also known as Jayapura or Kotte, is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is located adjacent to the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic, executive, and judicial capital, Colombo ...

- sculptural chandelier (main chamber) (1982) * Neptune Hotel,

Bentota Bentota is a coastal town in Sri Lanka, located in the Galle District of the Southern Province. It is approximately south of Colombo and north of Galle. Bentota is situated on the southern bank of the Bentota River mouth, at an elevation ...

- brass palm and plaster reliefs * Sinbad Hotel,

Kalutara Kalutara (, ) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south of the capital Colombo. The city holds a unique posit ...

- transparent cosmological sphere (1990) * Kandalama Hotel,

- brass owl sculpture (1994) *

Bentota Beach Hotel Cinnamon Bentota Beach, formerly known as Bentota Beach Hotel, is a luxury five-star hotel in Bentota, Sri Lanka. The hotel was built in 1967 and designed by Geoffrey Bawa. After refurbishment, the hotel reopened in 2019. The hotel is owned and o ...

- brass peacock sculpture * Lighthouse Hotel - bronze and copper sculptural balustrading (1998) * C Beyond Hotel,

Nilaveli Nilaveli (; ) is a coastal resort town and suburb of the Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka located 16 km northwest of the city of Trincomalee. A historically popular Tamil village and tourist destination of the district alongside the nearby ...

- building design and sculptures * Diyabubula,

- building design and sculptures

Publications

External links

https://lakisenanayake.com/ https://www.laki.lk/]

References