Tamarra Jayasundera, Sarmila Sooriyakumar, Thavarasa Thajendran, M.T.F. Rukshana, Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah, Arulraj Ulaganathan, Karunasiri Wijesinghe, Pathuma Dharmarathna, Pirainila Krishnarajah

What does it take to have Sri Lankan Contemporary Art exhibited beyond the isle? Compelling visual language and an erudite understanding of the subject matter – for the most part. Sometimes, a thematic relevance to the curatorial angle of the respective exhibition that aims to include multiple voices from varied geographies. Yet since of late - increasingly, for a critical perspective of the alternative stories of the land and its people, as the contemporary art ecosphere presents works of artists in conjunction with the introspection of the curator.

Set amidst artistic awakenings of the industrial development in Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed where traditional warehouses are being transferred into arthouses, 421 Art Campus pioneered this laudable endeavour in 2015 in a locale primarily known for its local fish and vegetable markets. 421 Arts Campus, being an independent platform for emerging artists and creative practitioners whilst also being a site for research, learning and experimentation – its Galleries 1 & 2 is showcasing the works of Sri Lankan Contemporary artists alongside those from South Asia, South West Asia, and Africa as part of ‘Way of the Forest’, the traveling edition of Colomboscope curated by Natasha Ginwala, Hit Man Gurung, Sarker Protick, Sheelasha Rajbhandari and Vidhi Todi – till the 29th of December.

MTF Rukshana, 2023 - 2024, Way of The Forest, Colomboscope 

Arulraj Ulaganathan, 2023 - 2024, Way of the Forest, Colomboscope, 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi

Witnessing the showcasing for the second time, outside the luscious parks and gardens of Colombo in a country romanticized for its deserts and dunes - evoked a sense of curiosity and displacement at the same time. While the white walls amplified the sentiments of dark chaos and painterly awe of the featured works of the artists - the ‘dislocation’ transformed the exhibition into a travelling edition outside the shores, thereby accentuating multiple readings and larger consumption to the undertakings of the artists. ‘Way of the Forest’ showcased in Galleries 1 & 2 at the 421 Campus, persuasively portrays, in my opinion, the outcry of the marginalized, and those still in despair. Employing intergenerational weaving techniques through paper, reed, cloth, and canvas, M.T.F Rukshana (b. 1989, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka) evoked a sense of tangibility to the pain she was exploring through her works of art, which revolved around the visual motif of the female body – which I personally found to be one of the strongest exhibits in the entire showcasing. Her use of the shades of red coupled with the greens and browns not only tactfully reflected the oneness of the body and land, but also potently drew similarities to the plundering and pillaging that take place in both sites strikingly. The artist, in her attempt to explore the way women reclaim their agency, inventively subverts the craft of weaving as a means to progress towards independence whilst also signifying the endurance of both the body and land amidst darkness and chaos. Correspondingly, through a series of scornful compositions reflecting the enduring hardships faced by those in the plantation sector in Haputale, Arulraj Ulaganathan (b. 1992, Haputale) commands the attention of the viewer through ‘spilt’ tea powder across parts of the floor in the gallery, whilst also using it as means to signify the erasure of forests for tea cultivation. His intricate drawings using tea stains powerfully addressed the systemic violence and prejudices faced by the tea plucker community of the region, which transformed his work into a visual protest – in all honesty.

Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah, 2022 - 2023, Way of the Forest, Colomboscope, 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi

Pathum Dharmarathna, 2023, Way of the Forest, Colomboscope, 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi

Similarly, the formidable works of Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah (b. Batticaloa, Sri Lanka) who was recognized as ARTRA Magazine’s Emerging Artist | Best of 2017 presented a dystopian outlook that scrutinized the consequences of the civil war and the undermining of environmental rights and deforestation through two large-scale installations, ‘Hidden Mycelium in a Wounded Land II’ (2022/23) a mixed media installation with sound that explores charred landscapes and trauma and ‘Mycelium and the Charred Landscape’ (2022), which utilizes paperboard, wood dust, wood glue, and other materials to reflect on decomposition and the restorative power of mycorrhizal networks. I felt that Pushpakanthan’s work visually epitomized the heart of darkness that the exhibition addresses in its attempt to question the destruction and decay that pervades changing landscapes. Natasha Ginwala, the artistic director of Colomboscope and co-curator of Way of the Forest states “The forest is a multispecies school, a place of origin stories, medicinal ground, an ancient alter and a sensory communication network that far exceeds human intelligence and lifespan. It is in this realm that elemental lessons are stored on defense systems that rejuvenate and restore earthly balance in the face of annihilation.”

In response to the curatorial perspective of the exhibition, the 18-minute dance film by Pathum Dharmarathna (b. 1992, Sri Lanka) ‘Bhawana’ (2023) is a wonderous tribute to the sanctity of the forest. Producing a cine-geography tapping into the forest waterfalls at the end of the monsoon season as an energy field - in this short film, the artist foregrounds his childhood and memories as a series of beautiful interconnections between rock faces, wind currents, a reverberating tree trunk and grand water bodies. On a mythical note, Sarmila Suriyakumar (b. 1994, Jaffna) and Pirainila Krishnarajah (b. 1994, Jaffna) survey the role of tree worship and folklore through intricate woodcarvings, painstakingly handcrafted to reflect the brilliance of Sri Lankan traditional design. The work showcased at the exhibition explores the rituals related to tree felling, examining how these practices align with the lunar calendar and village deities connected to specific flora and fauna impeccably. In contrast, engaging with the modern, the deliberate engravings of Tamarra Jayasundera (b. 1989, Sri Lanka) captivate the viewer for its glistening demeanor denoting a symbiotic relationship between humans and the natural world through abstract painting, where she utilizes copper, brass and stainless steel with oxidizing agents.

Sarmila Sooriyakumar and Pirainila Krishnarajah, 2023 - 2024, Way of the Forest, Colomboscope, 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi

Thavarasa Thajendran, 2024,Way of the Forest, Colomboscope, 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi

With deep knowledge of plants from his studies and illustrations at the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, Karunasiri Wijesinghe (b. 1982, Makadura, Sri Lanka) combined with his memories living in the Sinharaja rainforest, demonstrates a profound respect for the symbiotic relationships between trees and other natural species through his spectacularly elongated drawing on canvas of saplings to grandiose trees. His use of ink, brushstrokes and nibs in a Japanese sumi-e style rhythmically captures the dynamicity of the waters and wanderings of nature, with a tinge of reminiscence to the imaginative drawings of the flora of Laki Senanayake. Coincidingly, the origami-like parrots made from elongated leaves of Thavarasa Thajendran (b. 1987, Jaffna, Sri Lanka) celebrate the bountiful spirits of nature that are both beauteous and benevolent in a light hearted manner, which I found to be very refreshing – which added a sense of joy and buoyancy to ‘Way of the Forest’.

When speaking to Faisal Al Hassan, the Director of 421 Campus, he mentioned that he particularly chose to showcase this exhibition for how it captivated him when he visited Colombo earlier this year. In conversation, Faisal mentioned that he was also very much taken up by the level of engagement it stimulated within the audience, both young and old. “This is the second time we are collaborating with Colomboscope. We showcased Language is Migrant in 2021 and the response for it was very positive”. It was not only apparent that he was captivated by the raw emotions the showcasing evoked, but it was with deep respect for the artists that this revered art institution chose to gather important stakeholders of the global art world to experience the compelling dissent raised by these Contemporary Sri Lankan artists. Their unorthodoxies contribute to some of the many truths of the land and people of Sri Lanka – both marginalized and still in despair in symbiosis with wonder and the whimsical, in all grandeur.

Written by Azara Jaleel

Tamarra Jayasundera, 2023 - 2024, Way of the Forest, Colomboscope, 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi

Karunasiri Wijesinghe, 2023, Way of the Forest, Colomboscope, 421 Arts Campus, Abu Dhabi