Udyashanth Fernando Foundation in association with the Saskia Fernando Gallery is delighted to announce the grantees for the second edition of the A4A Production Fund - Dumiduni Illangasinghe, Malinda Jayasinghe, and Mayun Kaluthantri.
The A4A Production Fund was established in October 2021 with the aim of lending support to emerging contemporary Sri Lankan artists due to chronic underfunding of the local arts industry. This year’s judging panel consisted of Jagath Weerasinghe, Artist and Archeologist, Nour Aslam, Director of Art South Asia Project and Sandev Handy, Curator at Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka. Alongside directors of the UFF, the judging panel selected the above three artists after an open call. Each grantee will be provided with financial support and mentorship to work on their proposed project over a six month period after which the grantees will be presented with a platform to exhibit their work in the coming year. Here is an introduction to the 2023 grant recipients;
Dumiduni Illangasinghe, born in 1997, is a visual artist hailing from Anuradhapura and currently based in Colombo. She obtained her bachelor's degree in visual arts from the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, in 2023. Her art is characterised by an ongoing exploration of contemporary practices, deeply influenced by the profound beauty of nature and its connection to creative innovation. Her goal is to capture the essence of human emotions by examining the tangible elements that shape our emotional world. Her creative process begins with a close observation of the interplay between the environment and human feelings. In 2023, her works were showcased at the "Degree Show" and "In Between Matter and Materiality" exhibitions at the JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
Malinda Jayasinghe, born in 1992 in Colombo Sri Lanka, pursued a career in the corporate world after completing his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance. Self-taught in classical drawing and painting techniques, Jayasinghe’s initial focus was on learning photo-realism through pencil portraiture. Upon completing the course, ‘History of Art’ at Theertha International Artists Collective, his practice further developed towards a concept driven approach to explore Identity and socio-political currents. His current practice embraces a fusion of photorealism and surrealist approaches to explore themes of identity and the freedom available for the construction of such identities. His sculptural installations explore natural and man-made materials to depict imaginary boundaries created through discriminatory social constructs. Jayasinghe uses visual arts as a platform to explore and uncover religious biases, racial and gender privileges and the unwitting complicity in institutional oppression.
Mayun Kaluthanthri is a self-taught artist drawn to timeless mediums like painting, photography, print-making & writing. He explores shape-shifting perspectives on intimacy & masculinity in every-day-life, memory & dreams; accented by the tensions of this ancient island and that of the man-made against the ecological. Outside of his art-practice, Mayun connects through art-education, workshops & by organising third spaces such as The Packet & Monsoon Blues & Co in Colombo.
Congratulations to the grant recipients and we look forward to supporting you on your endeavours.