Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka

Private Lessons, Colombo (1991)

Stephen Champion’s first book of photographs ‘Lanka 1986–1992’ was published in 1993. He self-published his second book ‘Sri Lanka: War Stories’ in 2008. The colour and black and white photographs that Champion assembled are one of the first photographic accounts of the civil conflict in book form. Closely involved in the layout of each book, Champion used the spreads to juxtapose photographs, often to evoke disturbing or on occasion, humorous pairings. Travelling around the country by motorbike for weeks on end, over many years, he captured an island paradise in a state of transition and crisis. The resulting photographs made plain the complexity of Sri Lanka’s war, illustrating how far language, class and corruption contributed to the ethnic and religious nationalisms on all sides of the conflict. The fragile beauty of new life, of a baby in a mother’s sling and the masked face of a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) militant are each portrayed with detached empathy. As stark and total as his images are, Champion’s work testifies to the enduring ability of the camera, to record its subjects intimately. His photographs are an alluring reminder of how much history speaks in images and how in turn images speak to history.y.

Gallery 1
Home, Land, Survey, Country

1Fig. 1 90° 18’ 43.057 N 80° 47’ 11.726, E (2014)

Cassie Machado (b. 1982)

2Barrelism Tourist Map (1997)

Chandraguptha Thenuwara (b. 1960)

3GPS Drawing: Jaffna to Delft, 9.30 am to 10.30 am, Boat, 10 Feb 2015 (2015)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

4GPS Drawing: Jaffna Hostel (Kalviyankadu) to Ramanathan Academy (Maruthanarmadam), Three-wheeler, 12 km, 26 April 2012 (2012)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

5GPS Drawings, England 2011, Oxford to Paddington, Train, 1.01 pm to 2 pm, 2011 (2011)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

6GPS drawing: Killinochi to Vavuniya, Train, 2011 (2011)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

7GPS Drawing: Kudirimale to Wilpattu National Park Gate, 53km, 1.40 pm to 5.40 pm, Jeep, 7 October 2017 (2017)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

8GPS Drawing: Fuengirola to Córdoba, 8.30 am to 11.18 am, Bus, 9 August 2017 (2017)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

9GPS Drawing: Babaragasthalawa to Kumana campsite, 10 km, 1.15 hr, Jeep Toyota 4×4, June 2011 (2011)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

10Independence Day Colombo 1991 (1991)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

11St Peter’s Old Boys Reunion, Colombo (1991)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

12Private Lessons, Colombo (1991)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

13Rosie’s Deportment Class, Colombo (1989)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

14Tourist, Ahungalla (1991)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

15Spoken English, Balangoda (1988)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

16If You Boycott the Elections the Penalty Is Death, PRRA, Peoples Revolutionary Red Army, Galle (1989)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

17Corridors of Power: Drawing and Modelling Sri Lanka’s Tryst with Democracy (2015)

Channa Daswatte (b. 1965), Sanjana Hattotuwa (b. 1977), Asanga Welikala (b. 1976)

18Andare of Sri Lanka (1978)

Tilak Samarawickrema (b. 1943)

19Andare of Sri Lanka (1978)

Tilak Samarawickrema (b. 1943)

20Ceylon Since Soulbury Part I: A History in Cartoons by Collette (1948)

Aubrey Collette (1920–1992)

21Sinhala English Dictionary in a Steel Jail (2007)

Kingsley Gunatillake (b. 1951)

22The One Year Drawing Project: May 2005–October 2007 (2008)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966) , T. Shanaathanan (b. 1969), Chandraguptha Thenuwara (b. 1960), Jagath Weerasinghe (b. 1954)

23Purification Ritual in the Manik Ganga, Kataragama, Ceylon (1957)

Reg van Cuylenburg (1926–1988)

24Hindu Penitent with Kavadi, Kataragama, Ceylon (1957)

Reg van Cuylenburg (1926–1988)

25Hindu Penitent, Kataragama, Ceylon (1957)

Reg van Cuylenburg (1926–1988)

26Nowhere Is Now Here (1985)

Laki Senanayake (b. 1937)

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Gallery 2
Gaze, Self, Portrait

27Me, Myself and I (2010)

Arjuna Gunarathne (b. 1976)

28Masked JVP Supporter, Tangalle (1987)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

29Female Searching, Checkpoint at Pallai (2007)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

30–33Untitled (c. 1930s)

W. J. G. Beling (1907–1992)

34Do Not Measure Me (2001)

T. P. G. Amarajeewa (b. 1972)

35I Let My Hair Loose: Protest Series II (2010)

Anoli Perera (b. 1962)

36I Let My Hair Loose: Protest Series I (2010)

Anoli Perera (b. 1962)

37I Let My Hair Loose: Protest Series IV (2010)

Anoli Perera (b. 1962)

38Living Sculpture (2004)

Sujeewa Kumari (b. 1971)

39Broken Hands (1998/1999)

Pradeep Chandrasiri (b.1968)

40Somewhere Between Truth and Its Telling (2007/2012)

Ruhanie Perera (b. 1979)

41Somewhere Between Truth and Its Telling (2007/2012)

Ruhanie Perera (b. 1979)

42Broken Palmyrah (1999)

Godwin R. Constantine (b. 1964)

43Safety Pin (2009)

Manori Jayasinghe (b. 1972)

44Lionel Wendt Caricature (c. 1940s)

Aubrey Collette (b. 1920–1992)

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Gallery 3
Landscape / Landscapes, Territory

45–59Nightscapes (1999)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

60–62Nightscapes (1999)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

63Nightscapes (1999)

Muhanned Cader (b. 1966)

64Ravana (1991)

Nillanthan (b.1965)

65This Is Not a White Flag VII (2012)

Chandraguptha Thenuwara (b. 1960)

66Thorns V (2011)

Chandraguptha Thenuwara (b. 1960)

67Rest (2012)

Manori Jayasinghe (b. 1972)

68Journey I (2015)

G. Samvarthini (b. 1989)

69Journey II (2015)

G. Samvarthini (b. 1989)

70Fence VII (2018)

Nilani Joseph (b. 1990)

71Fence VIII (2018)

Nilani Joseph (b. 1990)

72–106Alai (1975 –1990)

Various authors

107A Song of Ceylon (1985)

Laleen Jayamanne (b. 1947)

108The Song of Ceylon (1934)

Lionel Wendt (1900–1944), Dir. Basil Wright (1907–1987), Prod. John Grierson (1898–1972)

109Yellow Tower (2019)

Tissa De Alwis (b. 1956)

110–117Untitled—various works (1997)

S. H. Sarath (b. 1947)

118View from Layards Road House Window (1969)

W. J. G. Beling (1907–1992)

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Gallery 4
Loss, Belief, Mourning

119I have got enough guilt to start my own religion (1992)

Jagath Weerasinghe (b. 1954)

120A Mother in Sri Lanka (1992)

Jagath Weerasinghe (b. 1954)

121Broken Stupa (1992)

Jagath Weerasinghe (b. 1954)

122I have got enough guilt to start my own religion (1992)

Jagath Weerasinghe (b. 1954)

123I have got enough guilt to start my own religion (1992)

Jagath Weerasinghe (b. 1954)

124Instant Nirvana PVT LTD (2000)

Bandu Manamperi (b. 1972)

125Bullets (2007)

Kusal Gunasekara (b. 1974)

126War Text (2007)

Kingsley Gunatillake (b. 1951)

127Portuguese Slave Trader (2019)

Tissa De Alwis (b. 1956)

128Mazari Chieftain with Young Girl (2019)

Tissa De Alwis (b. 1956)

129Paper (2011)

Kannan Arunasalam (b. 1972)

130Kerosene (2011)

Kannan Arunasalam (b. 1972)

131’83 (2016)

Sumudu Athukorala (b. 1979), Sumedha Kelegama (b. 1988), Irushi Tennekoon (b. 1989)

132Glitch V (2016)

Chandraguptha Thenuwara (b. 1960)

133J.R on TV, Colombo (1989)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

134Monks on TV, Colombo (2007)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

135Prosthetic Feet, Jaffna (1987)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

136No Glory (1998)

Sarath Kumarasiri (b. 1968)

137Artefacts from Jaffna (2013)

T. Krishnapriya (b. 1987)

138Missing (1995)

T. Shanaathanan (b. 1969)

139Study for Kannagi (c. 1963–72)

Tissa Ranasinghe (1925–2019)

140Displacement (2015)

M. Vijitharan (b. 1985)

141Refugees Returning to Talaimannar (1991)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

142Tyre

Pradeep Chandrasiri (b.1968)

143Disappearing and Reappearing Landscape (2012)

Pradeep Thalawatta (b. 1979)

144Raja Theatre Halt (2012)

Pradeep Thalawatta (b. 1979)

145Tissa’s Plasticine Models, Colombo (1989)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

146New Dagoba, Near Mutur (2012)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

147Baby in Sari, Maskeliya (1989)

Stephen Champion (b. 1959)

148Cradle (2012)

Manori Jayasinghe (b. 1972)

149Cabinet of Resistance No. 2 (2016)

T. Shanaathanan (b. 1969)

150Last Supper (1993)

A. Mark (1933–2000)

151Jesus (not dated)

Fareed Uduman (1917–1985)

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