Archives: Gallery Items

Portuguese Slave Trader (2019)

Plasticine, ceramic, found objects All works collection the artist Tissa De Alwis’ work stems from a deep fascination with military history and the narratives of conquests, battles and military allegiances that have defined modern history. His works take the form of sculptural tableaus that originate from the environment of his bedroom cum studio installation, an Read More

War Text (2007)

Used book, toy soldiers Courtesy the artist and Saskia Fernando Gallery First exhibited: ‘Year Planner’, Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2007 Kingsley Gunatillake produced several works that employed books as their primary medium in the final years of the civil conflict. Marking a departure from his paintings, these works were closer in spirit to Read More

Bullets (2007)

Wood, lacquer Private collection, Colombo First shown: ‘Draw the Line: An Exhibition of Lac and Brass Art’, Alliance Française de Kandy, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 2007 Many contemporary artists draw inspiration from Sri Lanka’s long and vital history of craft; its place in society is firmly rooted in state-sponsored manufacturing of national curios, to livelihoods defined Read More

Instant Nirvana PVT LTD (2000)

Terracotta, plastic clothes hanger Collection the artist First shown: ‘Made in IAS’, Star Fort, Matara, Sri Lanka, 2000 In the late ’90s, many young artists from Colombo turned to everyday materials as a way to reevaluate the society around them. Prior to Bandu Manamperi’s performances that began in 2001, the artist made a number of Read More

I have got enough guilt to start my own religion (1992)

Acrylic and charcoal on paper All works courtesy the artist and Saskia Fernando Gallery First exhibited: ‘Anxiety’, National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1992 In 1992 Jagath Weerasinghe held a solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Colombo titled ‘Anxiety’. The exhibition included a musical and performance-based intervention by the composer Senaka Batagoda and artists Nimal Read More

I have got enough guilt to start my own religion (1992)

Acrylic and charcoal on paper All works courtesy the artist and Saskia Fernando Gallery First exhibited: ‘Anxiety’, National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1992 In 1992 Jagath Weerasinghe held a solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Colombo titled ‘Anxiety’. The exhibition included a musical and performance-based intervention by the composer Senaka Batagoda and artists Nimal Read More

Broken Stupa (1992)

Acrylic and charcoal on paper All works courtesy the artist and Saskia Fernando Gallery First exhibited: ‘Anxiety’, National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1992 In 1992 Jagath Weerasinghe held a solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Colombo titled ‘Anxiety’. The exhibition included a musical and performance-based intervention by the composer Senaka Batagoda and artists Nimal Read More

A Mother in Sri Lanka (1992)

Acrylic and charcoal on paper All works courtesy the artist and Saskia Fernando Gallery First exhibited: ‘Anxiety’, National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1992 In 1992 Jagath Weerasinghe held a solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Colombo titled ‘Anxiety’. The exhibition included a musical and performance-based intervention by the composer Senaka Batagoda and artists Nimal Read More

I have got enough guilt to start my own religion (1992)

Acrylic and charcoal on paper All works courtesy the artist and Saskia Fernando Gallery First exhibited: ‘Anxiety’, National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1992 In 1992 Jagath Weerasinghe held a solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Colombo titled ‘Anxiety’. The exhibition included a musical and performance-based intervention by the composer Senaka Batagoda and artists Nimal Read More

View from Layards Road House Window (1969)

Wax crayon on paper Beling Family Collection, Colombo First exhibited: ‘Sketchbook: An Exhibition of the Beling Family Collection to Commemorate the 100th Birth Year of Geoffrey Beling (1907–1992)’, Sapumal Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2008 W. J. G. Beling was one of the founding members of the ’43 Group— a collective of modern mid-20th-century artists established Read More

Untitled—various works (1997)

8 works, pen on paper All works collection the artist Works 1–3, first exhibited: ‘one hundred thousand small tales’, Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2018 S. H. Sarath has been making drawings that respond to social injustice since the mid-70s. His imagery, which often employs surreal elements, is apocalyptic in tone. Actual events, such as Read More

Yellow Tower (2019)

Plasticine, ceramic, found objects Collection the artist Tissa De Alwis’ work stems from a deep fascination with military history and the narratives of conquests, battles and military allegiances that have defined modern history. His works take the form of sculptural tableaus that originate from the environment of his bedroom cum studio installation, an ongoing work Read More

The Song of Ceylon (1934)

DVD film (38 min) First screened: Ceylon Tea Marketing Board, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1934 Commissioned by the Ceylon Tea Marketing Board, ‘The Song of Ceylon’ is regarded as one of the most significant films to emerge from the British Documentary film movement, led by John Grierson (1898-1972),  the film’s producer. Grierson reputedly coined the term Read More

A Song of Ceylon (1985)

DVD film (51 min) Courtesy the artist and collection National Film and Sound Archive of Australia First screened: Sydney Film Festival, Sydney, Australia, 1986 ‘A Song of Ceylon’ borrows its title from the 1938 British documentary ‘The Song of Ceylon’ directed by Basil Wright (1907–1987). In stark contrast to Wright’s archetypal documentary, the narrative structure Read More

Alai (1975 –1990)

35 journals Private collection, Toronto Private collection Mr. Athanas Jesuraja, Jaffna First shown: ‘Trace’, Jaffna University Art Gallery, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, 2013 ‘Alai’ was a Jaffna based literary arts journal first published in 1975 by A. Jesurasa, Jeevakaruniayan, Kupzan I. Shanmugan and M. Pushparajan. ‘Alai’, meaning ‘wave’ in Tamil, is a linguistic pun on the Read More