BONSAI EXHIBITION – REFLECTIONS 2023 “ Living Images”

The Sri Lanka Bonsai Association is a non-profit organization promoting the art of Bonsai as a hobby in Sri Lanka and has held a number of successful exhibitions in the past. Due to the Covid pandemic exhibitions were not held for the past 3 years. The Association’s annual exhibition “REFLECTIONS 2023 – Living Images” will be open on May 13th and 14th from 10.00a.m. to 6.00p.m. at the Women’s International Club, 16 Guildford Crescent, Colombo 7. Demonstrations will be held at 4.00p.m. on both days.

The word Bonsai literally means “tray planting,” and it finds its origins in China over 1,300 years ago along with the concept of creating miniature plants, landscapes, etc. The Chinese had started the art of ‘pun-sai’ using special techniques to grow dwarf trees in containers. From 1,000 to 800 years ago the Japanese version of Bonsai took root in Japan, then spread to the rest of the world in the 19th Century.

Have you ever wondered what a Bonsai tree actually is? Probably your first answer would be that it is a small tree – yet it is so much more than that! A rather telling point is that you can’t plant them in your garden, and they require a lot of attention. They are in truth a form of art, as every Bonsai tree is carefully cared for, in order to achieve a desired image.

One may wonder what it is about Bonsai trees that has caused people over hundreds of years to devote their time to them, this is a hard question to answer as there are many reasons, but one simple explanation is simply that they are beautiful. The beauty of nature brought indoors. It takes a lot of time and effort to shape a Bonsai tree into an individual’s desired shape, so when one sees a Bonsai tree, one has to keep in mind the countless hours of work that it took to create it – just like art.

If you are looking for a venue to relax and unwind on a weekend, the Bonsai exhibition will be the ideal location. One can reflect that the Bonsais on view, carefully nurtured and designed by the members of the Bonsai Association, is a continuation of a thousand plus year tradition. No matter how one looks at it, Bonsai trees are very special and are really deserving of one’s appreciation.