OHC26: Clay Vibes Academy [Open Access]
Visit a pottery and sculpture studio located within the Sapumal Foundation as part of Open House Colombo 2026.
Panduka Somarathne de Silva is a Colombo-based artist, curator, and educator whose work with clay and sculpture champions a slower, more mindful pace of life.
Clay Vibes sits on land originally owned by the family of renowned Sri Lankan painter Harry Peiris, who established the Sapumal Foundation in 1974 to advance education and cultural activities and to promote the work of the ’43 group. Located in what was once a series of workers' cottages attached to the family estate, and then converted into the family home for Peiris and his mother in the 1940s, the Sapumal Foundation also displays Peiris’s extensive art collection.
Through Clay Vibes Academy, de Silva teaches pottery and sculpture to adults and children, helping them rediscover focus and calm through tactile creation. He has held workshops across the island in places such as Jaffna and Kandy, bringing art education beyond the city and highlighting regional craft traditions.
Visitors to the studio will have the chance to see works in progress by de Silva and his students, as well as his newly established San Melie Contemporary Art Gallery.
Address: 32/4 Barnes Place, Colombo 00700
Google map link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/JcqD7rpUEi53E7jW8
Image courtesy Clay Vibes Academy
Visit a pottery and sculpture studio located within the Sapumal Foundation as part of Open House Colombo 2026.
Panduka Somarathne de Silva is a Colombo-based artist, curator, and educator whose work with clay and sculpture champions a slower, more mindful pace of life.
Clay Vibes sits on land originally owned by the family of renowned Sri Lankan painter Harry Peiris, who established the Sapumal Foundation in 1974 to advance education and cultural activities and to promote the work of the ’43 group. Located in what was once a series of workers' cottages attached to the family estate, and then converted into the family home for Peiris and his mother in the 1940s, the Sapumal Foundation also displays Peiris’s extensive art collection.
Through Clay Vibes Academy, de Silva teaches pottery and sculpture to adults and children, helping them rediscover focus and calm through tactile creation. He has held workshops across the island in places such as Jaffna and Kandy, bringing art education beyond the city and highlighting regional craft traditions.
Visitors to the studio will have the chance to see works in progress by de Silva and his students, as well as his newly established San Melie Contemporary Art Gallery.
Address: 32/4 Barnes Place, Colombo 00700
Google map link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/JcqD7rpUEi53E7jW8
Image courtesy Clay Vibes Academy
Good to know
Highlights
- under 16 with parent or legal guardian
- In person
Location
Clay Vibe Sculpture and Painting Classes
32/4 Barnes Place
Colombo, WP 00700
How do you want to get there?
