Nuwan Nalaka Exhibition this weekend at Paradise Road Galleries

Saturday, 29 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Nuwan Nalaka Exhibition will be on exhibit from 29 March to 19 April at Paradise Road Galleries. Nuwan Nalaka is an emerging artist in Sri Lanka who is better known for his watercolour on paperworks that the artist presented in solo exhibitions in Colombo, Galle and Kandy, prior to his departure to India. Nalaka has also participated in numerous shows in India since 2003.

This series of work is the artist’s first show after completing his Masters in Fine Art at the Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, India. The series presents the evolution of the artist over the last few years. While the artist has always been renowned for his skill as an artist, the conceptual nature of his work and the combination of both Sri Lankan and Indian culture is portrayed strongly therein. “This is my first solo exhibition following my transition to India from Sri Lanka. This was an experience that was one of the most important for me to-date, moving from my native land to interact and understand modern Indian culture. Over the past decade I lived in an atmosphere where religion and culture differed greatly from Sri Lanka,” said Nalaka

“In this series, I attempt to portray the inner view of men and women. I have used images that symbolise social, political, mythological, religious and cultural aspects of life alongside imagery of love, sexuality, faith and sacrifice. A combination of metamorphic figures, symbolic representation, script, decorative elements and religious motifs from both Indian and Sri Lankan tradition. The images are derived from folk art and craft, traditional sculpture and temple murals. I recreate this imagery with my own technique, merging both into creating a contemporary piece. This act in itself connects the past to the present for me as an artist.” Paradise Road Galleries is located at The Gallery Café, 2 Alfred House Road, Colombo 3, Tel +94 11 2582162, open daily 10 a.m. to midnight.