PAKKIYARAJAH PUSHPAKANTHAN b.1989

Pakkiyarajah Pushpakanthan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts of the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The mood of Pushpakanthan’s work is intentionally unsettling as he draws inspiration from his first-hand experiences in the conflict and trauma of the war in the North. By exploring unforgettable memories of death, disappearance, torture and wounds, the artist uses his work as a space to lay bare the painful realities of the past so that people can grieve and heal. Rather than searching for answers of solutions, he moves through refined shifts of perception, hoping that the spectator is able to empathize with the trauma and its meaning.

 

Education

2017	Induction program for academic staff members, Staff Development Center, Eastern University, Sri Lanka
2014	Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art & Design), University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka

 

Solo Exhibitions

2018	The Disappearance of Disappearances | History of Art Gallery, New York, USA
2017	Disappearance | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	Inequality | Paradise Road Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

Group Exhibitions

2019	Crossing Place | Baik Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019	Contemporary Sri Lankan Art | Organised by Theertha International Artists Collective in collaboration with Iranian Cultural Centre | Colombo, Sri Lanka
2018	When Memory Lives | Artscape Youngplace,  Asian Research Centre, York University, Toronto, Canada
2018	Living on the Margins | Brunei Gallery (UK), Park Gallery (Nepal), Sapumal Modern Art Museum (Sri Lanka), SOAS University of London, UK
2018	Embodying Power | Sapumal Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2017	Human Rights Arts Festival | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2017	Silent Auction of Modern & Contemporary Art | Temple Trees Auditorium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	Young Subcontinent | Curated by Riyas Komu, Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa, India
2016	Conceiving Virtual Space | Curated by Alnoor Mitha and Saskia Fernando | ArtSpaceSriLanka.com
2016	Colombo Art Biennale: Conceiving Space | Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	Liminal Space: Reconfiguring Identity and Space through Contemporary Art | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	C/A/M/P – Contemporary Artists’ Meeting Point | Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2015	Colomboscope: Shadow Scenes | Rio Hotel and Cinema, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2015	Seven Conversations | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2014	Exhibition of Paintings | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2013	Art Effects from Jaffna | Park Street Mews, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Solo Exhibitions

2018	The Disappearance of Disappearances | History of Art Gallery, New York, USA
2017	Disappearance | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	Inequality | Paradise Road Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

Group Exhibitions

2019	Crossing Place | Baik Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019	Contemporary Sri Lankan Art | Organised by Theertha International Artists Collective in collaboration with Iranian Cultural Centre | Colombo, Sri Lanka
2018	When Memory Lives | Artscape Youngplace,  Asian Research Centre, York University, Toronto, Canada
2018	Living on the Margins | Brunei Gallery (UK), Park Gallery (Nepal), Sapumal Modern Art Museum (Sri Lanka), SOAS University of London, UK
2018	Embodying Power | Sapumal Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2017	Human Rights Arts Festival | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2017	Silent Auction of Modern & Contemporary Art | Temple Trees Auditorium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	Young Subcontinent | Curated by Riyas Komu, Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa, India
2016	Conceiving Virtual Space | Curated by Alnoor Mitha and Saskia Fernando | ArtSpaceSriLanka.com
2016	Colombo Art Biennale: Conceiving Space | Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	Liminal Space: Reconfiguring Identity and Space through Contemporary Art | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	C/A/M/P – Contemporary Artists’ Meeting Point | Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2015	Colomboscope: Shadow Scenes | Rio Hotel and Cinema, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2015	Seven Conversations | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2014	Exhibition of Paintings | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2013	Art Effects from Jaffna | Park Street Mews, Colombo, Sri Lanka

2019	When Stillness Came Rushing In: Sri Lanka’s Artistic Community Responds to the Easter Attacks
2016	Goa’s Seredipity festival to celebrate diversity in art | The Hindu
2016	33 global artists to showcas at Serendipity Arts Festival | The Times of India
2016	Narrowing disparities with healing art | The Nation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	An artist not only to watch but also to collect | The Sunday Times, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2016	Pakkiyarajah Pushpakanthan | Murder dog international, Sri Lanka
2015	Seven Conversation Exhibition | Daily Mirror Newspaper, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2015	Look back at Sri Lanka’s violent past to make sense of the present | scroll.in

http://www.artspacesrilanka.com/artists/pakkiyarajah-pushpakanthan.html#artist-product