Dreams of Harmony: Artworks by Jayantha Gomes

As part of the exhibition project "Shades of Calw," Jayantha Gomes presents unique artworks in his solo exhibition "Dreams of Harmony," which are influenced by Buddhism and the guiding principle of harmony. Tip: The opening of the exhibition will take place on November 28, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the Volkshochschule Calw. From November 24, 2025, the Sri Lankan artist, writer, and percussionist Jayantha Gomes will showcase his artworks at the Volkshochschule Calw. Jayantha Gomes is a versatile talent. Since 1978, he has exhibited in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and since 1986, he has lived and worked in his studio in Calw. Gomes discovered his artistic talent in his youth: with his delicate batik works on cotton fabrics, he continued an ancient artistic tradition from his home country of Sri Lanka. From the mid-1980s, he expanded his repertoire to include watercolors, pencil and ink drawings, and sculptures. As the first artist from Sri Lanka, Gomes was nominated in 1999/2000 for the most prestigious cultural award in Asia, the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in Japan. In the 1990s, Gomes also ventured into writing, producing two successful children's books with his own illustrations. In 2000, his first novel "Dark Dawn" was published in Sri Lanka, in which he recounts his experiences from early youth, marked by numerous upheavals. The illustrations published from 1994 for Hermann Hesse's Indian poem "Siddhartha" – a cycle of eighteen watercolors – earned him extraordinary recognition in the professional world. Furthermore, the award-winning artist plays various rhythms from Sri Lanka, India, and Cuba with his band "Jayantha & the Clan" as a percussionist – and does good in the process: The band and his association "Jayantha Gomes - Alliance for Sri Lanka e.V." support projects that enable underprivileged schoolchildren in Sri Lanka to have a better future. Gomes himself says about his work: "In all my activities in the fields of art, literature, and music, I always try to build bridges and convey a message for a life without hatred and war. These are my 'Dreams of Harmony'." For his long-standing artistic work as well as his exemplary humanitarian and intercultural commitment, he was awarded the Citizen's Medal of the City of Calw in 2005. Various ambassadors from his home country have rightly referred to him as a "cultural ambassador" of Sri Lanka. He is one of the most successful artists from his country. All interested parties are warmly invited to the opening on Friday, November 28, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the VHS Calw, Kirchplatz 3. After the welcoming speech by Dr. Clemens Schmidlin, head of the VHS Calw, Dr. Klaus-Peter Hartmann will give a tribute to the artist. The musical program will be provided by Professor Julian Behr on the lute. The year-long exhibition project "Shades of Calw" was initiated on the occasion of the 950th anniversary of the city of Calw to give eleven selected artists from Calw the opportunity to present themselves in the form of a solo exhibition. "Dreams of Harmony" by Jayantha Gomes is the conclusion of this exhibition series. It will be on display during the usual opening hours of the VHS until December 19, 2025.