Islanded

Aicon Contemporary is proud to present, Islanded, curated by Priyantha Udagedara, a group exhibition featuring six artists from Sri Lanka – Channa Ekanayake, Chamila Gamage, Subadrage Nuwan Nalaka, Dominic Sansoni, Pradeep Thalawatta and Iromie Wijewardena. As South Asian art continues to gain prominence and visibility in the global scene and market, it is important to delve deeper into the categorisation of art objects/ artists as South Asian itself. While a helpful regional and cultural categorisation, it also has the capacity to homogenise the individual identities of each country and its art. Islanded highlights art from Sri Lanka and focuses on the region’s history, present and future by bringing its contemporary art world to global focus. 

The artists in this show bring forth Sri Lankan identity within a contemporary context and its connection to human experience and society. Through abstracting the rich natural backdrop of the island, using figuration to subvert gendered representation and documentation of indigenous and foreign communities, the show brings together diverse and varied art practices from the region. The curatorial vision of the show aims to visually connect a land and it’s people - tracing stories between the natural/ architectural backdrops and their inhabitants. 

Chamila Gamage’s (b.1978, Beliatta, Sri Lanka) work is rooted in painting, drawing, sculpting, and set designing. Drawing is one of Sri Lanka’s oldest forms of communication, and it can still be very relevant today as the world becomes both a faster and a smaller place. With his drawings he investigates our collective memory, attempting to explore universal themes. History, war, sexuality, gender roles, religion are all touched upon, while also offering an examination into the role and limitations of an artist in society today. He studied painting and sculpture at the University of Visual and Performing arts in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

Subadrage Nuwan Nalaka (b.1981, Sri Lanka) is an artist and lecturer. Versatility is reflected in his skillful handling of a wide range of mediums and techniques such as tempera, water colours, Indian ink and wash painting. His work often delves into themes of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, examined through a combination of visual metaphors, iconography, floral and vegetal forms. Nuwan’s visual style is influenced by folk and traditional painting techniques and styles of both India and Sri Lanka, and he exhibits a seamless ability to shift between calligraphic, bold brush strokes and intricately detailed work. He completed his Masters in Fine Art (2013) at the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, India. His work has been exhibited at numerous exhibitions in both India and Sri Lanka.

Iromie Wijewardena’s (b.1954, Sri Lanka) work has predominantly been a celebration of the female form. Her portrayal of women, be it mother, wife, homemaker or breadwinner, seeks to question society  and how women who perform such important and noble tasks, could be so repeatedly overlooked, underestimated and victimised. She subverts normative gendered representations by painting the female form in a light of power and strength. She commenced her painting career over five decades ago, and has exhibited in Germany, USA, UK, Paris, Bangladesh, India, Cuba, Korea, Singapore, Bulgaria, Japan, former Yugoslavia and Dubai. 

Channa Ekanayake (b. Sri Lanka) has experimented with style and mediums - Buddhist temple murals, traditional architecture and abstract geometric compositions have influenced his present style. Ekanayake’s work as an environmentalist and journalist has influenced his artistic practice. Ekanayake sees his work as a way to bring a piece of the traditional world of art into modern life. His abstract composition encourages others to think about the contemporary value and richness of its impact. His goal as an artist is to raise awareness and start a conversation about how to find one’s identity in Sri Lankan art and the impact of it in the modern world.

The Colombo-based artist Pradeep Thalawatta (b.1979, Sri Lanka) is known for his multidisciplinary practice and use of a broad range of materials to continuously expand and evolve a body of work that includes photography, drawing, video, performance, installation and painting. Thalawatta uses different sources and references to examine man-made environmental changes occuring due to construction and human behaviors. He is interested in how people build reality, by personal memories, experiences, histories, heritage and religion, and how each of these elements has its context and baggage which organizes itself in the many layers of our present lives.

Dominic Sansoni’s (b.1956, Colombo, Sri Lanka) photographs are stark and powerful. He creates complex portraits of different communities and often uses cultural symbols as props. Sansoni was educated at St. Peter’s College, Colombo and Farnham College of Art, England and graduated in 1979. He has worked as a professional photographer since 1980 and his pictures have appeared in TIME, Newsweek, Asiaweek and Meridiani. He has published several books of his work, including Sri Lanka - Resplendent Isle and ‘Lunuganga Geoffrey Bawa’s garden.’