User:Graham Ceca Kiwis

Nawi Samaraweera of Mapalana Kaburupitiya Matara was born on 26th July 1947. He was greatly influenced by his father who was well known and much respected for his wood carvings, and by the rural village atmosphere he grew up in.

Samaraweera entered the Government College of Fine Arts Colombo after secondary education in 1966 and won the Scholarship awarded for the best student of the college in 1967. In 1969, his dream of Sculpting was inspired by the world famous Sri Lankan Sculptor Tissa Ranasingha.

In 1970, Samaraweera won his first special award for the sculpture “Abhayabhoomi”, from the Ceylon Society of Arts. By 1971, Samaraweera was a renowned sculptor and graduated from the Government College of Fine Arts Colombo. In the same year, he won the first prize for the Sculpture “Bhikshuwa” at the exhibition of Contemporary Paintings and Sculptures organized for the first time by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Ceylon Society of Arts and by Cultural Council of Ceylon. In 1972, he joined the government service as a specialized arts teacher.

In 1973, Samaraweera held his maiden solo exhibition at the Samudra Gallery Colombo. Ever since, he has held many successful solo exhibitions in various places. Therein, he went on to participate in various Art Exhibitions locally as well as internationally. Samaraweera has won many prizes from competitive Art Exhibitions. In 1988, his wooden sculpture “Kanya”, which won a prize at National Paintings & Sculpture (Rajya Chitra Moorthi) Competition, was selected as a permanent display at the National Art Gallery.

Renowned personalities around the world have commended Samaraweera for his contribution to fine arts.

“Samaraweera has successfully created his own world among the contemporary sculptors of Sri Lanka. The awards he has won and the highly successful one man exhibitions are an index to his success as a creative sculptor.” - Professor Albert Dharmasiri of University of Kelaniya – Sri Lanka

“In particular I find Samaraweera’s Sculpture portray a reverential sense of humility and a quiet demeanour which invites one to reflect on the value of inner peace and selflessness which are not easily found in the hustle and bustle of this busy materialistic world. His sculptures serve to remind us that while we can perhaps calculate the cost of everything, we may not know the true value of anything.” - Major-General W.T. Macfarlane C.B. – United Kingdom

“Samaraweera’s forte is undoubtedly his sculptures of the human figures. He follows neither proportion nor credibility in mounting these works of art, although by his sheer skill, he never fails to achieve a sense of balance.” - Nilmini Karunarathne, 'The Island' Newspaper - Sri Lanka

“Nawi Samaraweera is one among those few Sri Lankan Sculptors who has given an enormous contribution for the development of creative sculpture.” - Manu Bandhu Vidyapathi, Renowned Critic - Sri Lanka

Nawi Samaraweera has dedicated more than forty years of his life as a sculptor/painter and has won the heart of art lovers both locally and internationally.

Milestones in the Journey of Fine Art

1966 - Entered the Government College of Fine Arts.
1967 - Won the scholarship award for the best student of the College of Fine Arts.
1968 - Became a member of the Ceylon Society of Arts.
1970 - The special prize for the sculpture “Abhaya Bhoomi” from Ceylon society of Arts.
1970 - The painting 'Harvesting' was selected for the Periodical Art Exhibition held by the Ceylon Society of Arts at the National Art Gallery.
1971 - Successfully completed the five year course at Government College of Fine Arts and obtained the Diploma in Sculpture.
1971 - The 1st prize for the sculpture “Bhikshuwa” (Wooden Sculpture) at the exhibition of Contemporary Paintings and Sculpture held by the Department of Cultural Affairs.
1972 - Joined the Government Service as a Specialized Art Teacher.
1973 - The first one man exhibition at the 'Samudra Gallery' of Sri Lankan Tourist Board, Colombo.
1973 - Special award for the sculpture 'Martin Wickramasinghe' at the 73rd Annual Art Exhibition held by the Ceylon Society of Arts.
1982 - The sculptures 'Mother & Child' and 'Buddhist Monks' were selected as National Entries for participation at the International Art Exhibition in New Delhi, India.
1984 - The 1st prize for the sculpture “Samaya” at the Exhibition of International Peace Foundation.
1984 - The paintings 'Red Flower' and 'Family Members' was selected for the Specialized Art Teachers Exhibition held by the Ministry of Education at the Hotel Lanka Oberoi.
1985 - Special award for the sculpture 'Peace' at the 81st Annual Art Exhibition held by the Ceylon Society of Arts.
1985 - Award from the Ceylon Society of Arts at the 81st Annual Art Exhibition for the sculpture 'Mother & Child'.
1986 - Award for the painting 'Mother & Child' from “Agaradaguru Sanskruthika Padanama”.
1986 - Special award for the sculpture 'Buddhist Monk' at the 82nd Annual Art Exhibition held by the Ceylon Society of Arts.
1986 - Award for the sculpture 'Wave' from Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
1987 - The 1st prize for the sculpture “Family Group” at the exhibition of specialized art teachers of the Ministry of Education.
1988 - Selected the sculpture “Kanya” for permanent display at the National Art Gallery, Colombo.
1989 - Participated in the International Exhibition of Asian Arts biennale, Bangladesh as the only representative from Sri Lanka in the section of sculpture.
1990 - 2nd Prize for the sculpture 'Bull' at the Specialist Art Teachers' Exhibition held by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
1990 - 3rd Prize for the sculpture 'Mother & Child' at the Centenary Art Exhibition held by the Ceylon Society of Arts.
1990 - 3rd Prize for the sculpture 'A tomorrow for us' at the State Sculpture & Paintings Exhibition held by the Council of Arts, Sri Lanka.
1990 - Special award for the sculpture 'Upasaka' at the Centenary Art Exhibition held by the Ceylon Society of Arts.
1990 - Special awards for the sculptures 'The crying cock' and 'The composition' at the Specialist Art Teachers' Exhibition held by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
1990 - Awards for Wooden Sculpture from the Council of Arts, Sri Lanka.
1990 - One man exhibition at the Alliance Française, Colombo.
1997 - One man exhibition at the Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla.
1998 - Participated for the Independence Golden Jubilee Painting and Sculpture Exhibition held by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Council of Arts, Sri Lanka.
1999 - One man exhibition at the Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla.
2001 - One man exhibition at the Heritance Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla.
2004 - One man exhibition at the Lighthouse Hotel, Galle.
2006 - Launched the first Personal Profile Video CD/DVD.
2008 - Launched the personal profile website 'www.ArtistSamaraweera.com'
2013 - Launched 'Gallery 21' in Walgama, Matara Residence
2014 - Ventured into 'Digital Painting' on iPad
2015 - Launched the Facebook Page “www.facebook.com/ArtistSamaraweera”