KARMA & THE SEA - Street art in SRI LANKA

📍 Unawatuna Sri Lanka, hostel Carpe Diem.

Finally, I continued my journey. Full of curiosity, I reached the coast of Sri Lanka. Originally, I planned a retreat in Sam's Ashram. From Colombo to Unawatuna, I traveled by train and bus, spending a few days in Unawatuna before visiting the ashram in the jungle. I noticed the many crows that made the coast lively but somewhat oppressive. The sea was loud and almost gloomy. Perhaps it was angry, I thought. I like places where nature is louder than humans and sets the rhythm. In general, I found nature in Sri Lanka to be very vibrant and colorful.

The bicycle I used to explore Unawatuna had a plastic flower basket. The roads were gravelly, and bits of rock would crumble from the cliffs at the roadside. Buses thundered past me at high speed, honking, as I watched from the roadside with my flower bicycle. Hesitant, I eventually joined the traffic, constantly stopping, letting others pass, waiting until I was overtaken, and not getting far. Then I thought, "Forget it, if I die, I'll die smiling with a flower basket." So, I decided to embrace the flow of traffic and suddenly found myself involved in the seemingly chaotic flow of traffic, realizing once again how important it is to trust oneself. A magic took over me, the magic of the present moment.

 

On another day, I was walking when Suranga approached me in a side street where I had left my flower bicycle. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I stopped, and we talked. He seemed surprisingly familiar, and spontaneously, he offered me a wall to paint a mural. His friend owned a hostel with empty white walls. My dream of street art and large paintings came true, and Manura and I rode on a scooter to a store to buy colors. Manura trusted me, even though he had never seen any of my paintings before.

Tourists influence the culture of the locals. They want, they get, they take, and I want to express that. The Mural represents karma.

The most beautiful thing during the painting process was that new people gathered in front of the murals, telling stories and having a good time at the Hostel Carpe Diem.

 

Next, I dedicated myself to paint the mermaid. She embodies the sea. Manura's uncle provided me with food and Singhalese tea. During the day, he sat under the pavilion, read the newspaper, observed the surreal mermaid, and wondered what she felt. I started to paint in the middle of the wall with her face and built the body, hair, and fingers around it. The uncle was a fine man, and we talked as well as our simple English allowed.

In the end, there was a fire made of coconut shells, and we grilled a large fish as a thank-you.

 I realized that everything we need is already there and is enough. Das All es ist. Alles ist. Alex.

The uncle and I shed a few tears as we said goodbye at the gate. I skipped the ashram. I had found my purpose for now.