Gayan Prageeth’s (b. 1980, Horana) work is characterised by a Sri Lankan-specific iconography and bears a sensitive awareness of ongoing environmental and political issues. The combination of intricate acrylic painting with fine ink drawings on rice paper, pasted on the canvas, creates a sharp visual style through which the artist critiques the socio-political environment in Sri Lanka. He makes use of ready-made material in his installations in a subtle commentary on the ethnic divide in the country. His work illustrates the turmoil of the civil war through installation and geometric symbolism – a combination of works that demonstrate not only Sri Lanka’s ruptured history but also the current state of many countries around the world.
Gayan earned a BFA in Painting (2009) from the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Prageeth’s work has been exhibited at Constellations: Global Reflections H2O Edition 2,
Bali (2024); Baik Art Gallery, Los Angeles (2019); Art Dubai, UAE (2018); Colombo Art Biennale, Colombo (2016); Mandala Art Gallery, Singapore (2015); and the 13th Asian Art Biennale, Dhaka (2008).