Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts (VAFA)

38, New Jayaweera Mawatha
Ethul Kotte

Tele: 011 2877309/ 2866227
Contact person: Chandraguptha Thenuwara, Director

Initiated by Chandraguptha Thenuwara VAFA was first started as the Vibhavi Fine Arts Studio offering weekend classes in 1993. It evolved into a full-fledged art school under the name of ‘Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts’ in 1995 with a one off grant from HIVOS.

VAFA, a non-government and non-profit making institution, was established as an alternative and independent school for teaching fine arts in Sri Lanka where the art education was until then dominated by the government sponsored school, the Institute of Aesthetic Studies (IAS). VAFA was set up as a response to the inward-looking outdated art education given by the IAS, and to open up possibilities for adult education as well as to give an opportunity to students to receive an art education who were denied entrance to IAS.