DESIRE : HASHAN COORAY

19 June - 17 July 2020

  • Saskia Fernando Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by Hashan Cooray consisting of paintings and drawings from his latest series titled ‘Desire’. The works, created over the past twelve months, feature drawings and painting across the themes of love, pain, desire and existentialism. The body of work features self-portraits in an attempt to present a narrative of introspection. 

    • Hashan Cooray Desire 11, 2020 Mixed Media on Paper & Canvas 160 x 150 cm 63 x 59 in
      Hashan Cooray
      Desire 11, 2020
      Mixed Media on Paper & Canvas
      160 x 150 cm
      63 x 59 in
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    • Hashan Cooray, Desire 12, 2020
      Hashan Cooray, Desire 12, 2020
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  • The mouthless face and other works are partially masked by his gestural paintings featuring the Cacti, a symbol of himself and the contradiction of the repelling nature of the plant combined with its nourishing interior.  

  • We find that Hashan’s intent to paint the beginning of a chapter in a world where humans are not driven by conscience, compassion or love leads him to use intricate detailing and chaotic brush strokes, representing the dawn of a whole new species. His works of art contain inscriptions quoting words of a poem to further explain the digitalised world and the evolution of society’s deliberate existence in cyberspace creating links unlike those that are built fundamentally on meaning and significance. - Azara Jaleel, ARTRA Magazine, 2019

  • Fluid strokes form many of the portraits; a black form that clearly resembles the face, and to the artist, his darkest, most questionable moments. 

  • Hashan Cooray Desire 03, 2020 Mixed Media on Brown Paper 160cm x 122cm (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Hashan Cooray, Desire 09, 2020 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Hashan Cooray Desire 10, 2020 Mixed Media on Brown Paper 160cm x 122cm (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Hashan Cooray, Desire 03, 2020
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  • The three portraits represent the Holy Trinity, a reference to the subject of conformity. Using form and the depth of blackness in parallel with writing and contrasting forms and colour; the artist plays with the aesthetic to underline his narrative. His portraits are not mirror images, they are representations of the soul. 

  • Incorporating words referring to divine beings as well as profanity , the images and writing aim to aggravate the senses, leading to a further questioning of one’s own conformity.

    • Hashan Cooray Desire 20, 2019 Mixed Media on Paper 92cm x 69cm
      Hashan Cooray
      Desire 20, 2019
      Mixed Media on Paper
      92cm x 69cm
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    • Hashan Cooray Desire 19, 2019 Mixed Media on Paper 92cm x 69cm
      Hashan Cooray
      Desire 19, 2019
      Mixed Media on Paper
      92cm x 69cm
      Enquire
    • Hashan Cooray Desire 18, 2019 Mixed Media on Paper 92cm x 69cm
      Hashan Cooray
      Desire 18, 2019
      Mixed Media on Paper
      92cm x 69cm
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    • Hashan Cooray Desire 17, 2019 Mixed Media on Paper 92 x 69 cm 36 1/4 x 27 1/8 in
      Hashan Cooray
      Desire 17, 2019
      Mixed Media on Paper
      92 x 69 cm
      36 1/4 x 27 1/8 in
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    • Hashan Cooray, Desire 04, 2020
      Hashan Cooray, Desire 04, 2020
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    • Hashan Cooray Desire 07, 2020 Mixed Media on Paper 139 x 98 cm 54 3/4 x 38 5/8 in
      Hashan Cooray
      Desire 07, 2020
      Mixed Media on Paper
      139 x 98 cm
      54 3/4 x 38 5/8 in
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    • Hashan Cooray Desire 08, 2020 Mixed Media on Paper 138 x 97 cm 54 3/8 x 38 1/4 in
      Hashan Cooray
      Desire 08, 2020
      Mixed Media on Paper
      138 x 97 cm
      54 3/8 x 38 1/4 in
      Enquire

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