Veins of Influence

The launch of an important new book at 2 pm on Thursday 13 June 2024

at the Linnean Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BF

Tickets £8 each

We are delighted that Shalini Amerasinghe Ganendra BA, MA Hons. (Cambridge), Chevening Fellow and Academic Associate of the History of Art Department at the University of Oxford, has agreed to launch her new book, Veins of Influence, to members of our Association before launching it at the British Council in Colombo this September.

She was the first Sri Lankan art expert and collector to be appointed to the Tate Gallery Acquisitions Committee and has served on many judging and award panels, including the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution and the Commonwealth Art Award.

Her new book, which stems from her visiting scholarship at Oxford in 2022, is subtitled Colonial Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in Early Photographs and Collections. It is described by her distributors, Daunt Books, as “unveiling rare, unseen photos of colonial Sri Lanka, weaving them into the global tapestry of photography. Ganendra delves into over 450 captivating images from prestigious collections like the Royal Collection Trust, Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum, and more. The book not only showcases the photos but also tells the stories of the collectors, bridging the past with the present”. “Dive in”, Daunt exhorts us, “to explore both renowned UK and cherished Sri Lankan collections.”

The images, taken between 1850 and the 1920s, are accompanied by essays and commentary and represent an integral part of Sri Lanka’s rich history, while also representing the warp and weft of our own Association

This will be a rare and very special opportunity to hear from a leading scholar on the subject.

and we look forward very much to seeing you at the Linnean in June.

Unfortunately, we can no longer organise tea at the Linnean Society, but the Summer Show at the Royal Academy will be in full swing and we could, new books under our arms, walk across the courtyard to the Academy’s many cafes, where (at our own expense) we shall find tea and cake of every kind.

Host or Publisher Miss Chamali Fernando, Events Co-ordinator, Friends of Sri Lanka Association