Is Sri Lanka really a paradise? Or has the island which was called the Garden of Eden turned into something else? In Priyantha Udagedera’s collages, the viewer meets double headed animals and a bird headed man, butterflies, birds and eyes all juxtaposed to represent mythical figures.
These collages exhibited at the Paradise Road Galleries have three things in common; they are colourful, vibrant and have elements related to fantasy.
Priyantha is currently following his doctoral studies at the Leeds University in Britain where he also did his master’s, after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya.
Even though he is exhibiting collages for the first time, his works exude the same energy and vibrancy that were integral in his previous works. “I used to paint figures and landscapes. But, I wanted to do something different. This feeling prompted me to take up this work. I am working on collages as part of my PhD project,” he says. Collage painting is a new concept in Sri Lanka and in consequence is a fresh challenge for him.
“People may not accept it as they are so used to paintings with oil or water colour on canvas,” he confesses. But so far he has found that people are interested and inquisitive. “They are certainly questioning,” he adds.
His work is titled “paradise”. “My PhD title is “rediscovering paradise”. Through these works, I am re-visioning paradise. I have showcased mythical characters in my work. My art can also be called historical paintings as some of them tell stories of the past.
“I have also depicted the condition of Sri Lankan paradise in the colonial or post colonial periods. These are historical paintings. For instance, the “Garden of Eden” is based on the belief in the West that Sri Lanka was originally the Garden of Eden and that Adam and Eve lived here. In one of my works, I have depicted the new Garden of Eden that has materialized in Sri Lanka,” he adds.
Another work reveals the influence of India on Sri Lanka, both the religious influence—the arrival of Buddhism-- and also the economic influence which is evident in the arrival of tea from Assam.
The exhibition continues until June 30. |
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