MĀRA: Kingsley Gunatillake

Māra, a figure from Buddhist and Hindu traditions, has long symbolized the internal struggles that hinder spiritual and personal growth—embodying obstacles like fear, desire, and doubt. Kingsley Gunatillake reinterprets the mythology of Māra, transcending its traditional role as an antagonist. In Gunatillake’s reimagining Māra speaks not only to the turmoil of the human psyche, but to the quiet tribulations of the soul. This series is a reflection of the artist’s interiority—where struggles and fulfillment coexist, where Māra is not conquered, but understood, as we move through life with its many contradictions. The figure of Marā manifests through the physicality of Gunatillake’s chosen mediums; from detailed copper sculptures to the broad calligraphy strokes across canvas and washi paper. Inspired by the expressive linearity and rhythmic motions of Chinese and Japanese ink paintings Gunatillake’s sculptures and paintings attempt to communicate the untranslatable weight of the psyche. 

Gunattilake exploits the inherent qualities of materials to craft textured ribbons of color with a singular, sweeping motion. His process is both meditative and uninhibited unfolding in striking fluid gestures. The recurrent motif of an eye permeates Gunatillake’s paintings in Marā where circular perforations resembling cosmic eyes allow neon yellow and scarlet red shades to bleed through the outer layers offering brief glimpses into a hidden realm.