Picturing shrines and temples
Jayanthi LIYANAGE
Sri Lankan modern arts attained critical evaluation as contemporary
arts on ideas and beliefs arising from the nineties trend. Sculptor
Sarath Kumarasiri is an artiste who began the nineties trend and his
visual arts are tied up with the criticism of contemporary arts.
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Sarath Kumarasiri |
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Temple entrance |
He constructs his art, rescuing it from the modernist critique and
building it on handicraft or national traditional sources. A previous
exhibition of his, "No Glory" (1998) depicted an individual's shock and
disillusionment at political violence.
Kumarasiri's artistic history has a close relationship to his current
exhibition "Kovil-Pansal", in that his exhibits resemble or reproduce
the natural elements of an object.
His "kovil-Pansal" sculpture resembles their historical and
archeological values. They are common yet large and heritage objects,
citing political examples and historical importance. He tries to show
political, religious and racial behaviour. Behind his "kovil-Pansal" is
an indication that the dark spots of modern Lankan history cannot avoid
religious divide.
Kumarasiri evokes to mind tragedies connected with racial, religious
and ethnic divides. He wants to impart that such political behaviour
will destroy the inner meaningfulness of these heritages.
This visual proposal of Kumarasiri brings together related proposals
of other artists and his own visual pictures in kovil-Pansal. The title
'kovil-Pansal' is used as two words equalling each other and do not
denote their historical depths.
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An exhibit |
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Close up of the entrance |
In that it can be presumed that state interventions of equating
concepts are merely political. Kumarasiri hints that the end result of
ethnic or extremist religious divides would bring in their wake the
destruction of symbolic systems necessary for the perpetuation of the
human society.
Kumarasiri holds a BFA degree in Sculpture and MA in Archaeology and
has attended a program at Royal College of Art, London.
He participated in several group shows and international residencies
in Japan, Sweden, India and Sri Lanka.
Kumarasiri also co-ordinated a video documentary for UNESCO on a Sri
Lankan Craft Village (2002) and managed a studio and workshop for terra
cotta, ceramics and papercrafts (1997-2005). He is a resource person for
the Ministry of Rural and Small Industries and has been a core member of
Theertha International Artists' Collective.
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Theertha International Artists
Collective invites you to Sarath Kumarasiri's 'Kovil-Pansal (Shrines -
Temples)', being held as part of Theertha Exhibition Season 2009, until
January 4, at Theertha Red Dot Gallery, 36A, Baddegana Road South,
Pitakotte. Gallery hours: Monday to Wednesday: 10.30 am to 5 pm. Sunday:
11 am to 4.30 pm. |
