When I visited Colombo’s Saskia Fernando Gallery in June to see Arjuna Gunarathne’s solo exhibition, there were two things that I noticed immediately – the presence of plants and trees and solitary figures who are the mainstay of his landscapes.
Both made partial sense to me, having spent some time travelling around the small island nation besieged by a long civil war and recent economic adversities. The interplay of colours, almost quixotic, embodied a deft hand at work.
Arjuna Gunarathne studied art in Colombo followed by Lahore and finally, London where he now lives. His work has been shown in India before including the last edition of the India Art fair but his first solo in India, Solitary Gardens is being held at Mumbai’s Akara Contemporary friNov 23-Dec 27). I recently spoke with the artist about his practice, growing up in Sri Lanka, life as an immigrant in London and ways of looking at his art. Excerpts from our conversation.
