| An artist who looks to explore the human psyche, Sampath Amunugama is once again exhibiting his work - his fifth solo exhibition featuring about 25 paintings is now on at Paradise Road Galleries and will continue until June 26.
Sampath’s work is constantly evolving. Experimental arts being Sampath’s area of interest, he blends his imagination with different styles to bring out his themes.
Sometimes he incorporates human figures and traditional designs into the background, he says. Or he uses paint throws and prints to add more colour, at other times it’s the scrape effect, Sampath explains. If colour patches and brush strokes were quite predominant in his early paintings, it’s a different approach that Sampath has adopted of late and followers of his work will find the use of “shapes”, he says.
Most of the paintings on display at the exhibition are done in black and white, he explains. “I believe these two colours are more appropriate in discussing my themes; for example black and white are symbolic of good and evil of human nature,” he says.
Currently teaching art at S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Painting at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya in 2004 and the Postgraduate Diploma in Archaeology at the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya. He has taken part in many local as well as international exhibitions including the World Open Art Festival in South Korea in 2008.
Among his achievements are winning third prize and a merit award at the Exhibition of Young Contemporaries organized by the George Keyt Foundation Sri Lanka in 2004 and 2006 respectively, second prize at the art exhibition University of Kelaniya in 2000, and first prize at the exhibition organized by the National Youth Services Council Kandy in 1995.
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