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| Wednesday, 29 September 2004 |
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Visual metaphors by Lasanda Kurukulasuriya
In these times when we are increasingly being subjected to scrutiny abroad, art that presents Sri Lanka through foreign eyes can hold a special fascination. Sometimes it can be uncomfortably revealing. The exhibition of paintings by Australian Robert Gander, now on at the Barefoot Gallery, Colombo 3, is not so much an attempt to satirize, but more like a response of the visual imagination inspired by people in the lands he has travelled, in the course of his career with the Australian diplomatic service. Gander's overseas postings have taken him to Fiji Islands, Indonesia, Taiwan and now Sri Lanka, where he serves at the High Commission as First Secretary Immigration. The diverse regions of the imagination presented in these canvases take the viewer beyond the physical boundaries of the countries, to include past and present, real and imaginary, mythical and magical. If there is one thing this artist seems to have learned well through his travels, it is the anatomy of oppression. This seems to form the sub-text of his work. It is conveyed through mood and odd detail. Such as, for instance, the menacing look of the stumpy demon-figures called "Tuyul" in Indonesia (who will steal money for you if you sacrifice to them something that is dear to your heart), or the claw-like finger nail and slightly overbearing pose of the man, in the picture titled "Adam and Eve." Most of the faces and figures seem to inhabit an imaginary no-man's-land between hope and fear. "After the election," for instance shows a frightened-looking, huddled up figure, but it is against the background of a starry sky. The foetal position assumed by "Man from Jaffna," the artist points out, suggests "birth," but also, obviously, fear.
Gander's pictures have been described as "visual metaphors rather than a specific depiction of a person or place." The paintings have been done with house paint on cardboard surfaces, hence the thick looking brush strokes. The exhibition runs till Oct. 3. Robert Gander was born in Sydney Australia in 1952. He studied Fine Arts and Archaeology at Sydney University and then travelled extensively through South East Asia, North Africa and Europe. He has exhibited in Sydney, Suva, London, Oxford, Amsterdam, Jakarta and Taipei. His works are held in a number of private collections around the world. He says he believes in the essential unity of all faiths, and "a universalist religion of humanity." **** Back **** |
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