Rekha: Tilak Samarawickrema

Over a career spanning six decades, Samarawickrema has moved fluidly across disciplines with a polymathic vision. Rooted in heritage, his prolific practice synthesized a distinct visual language that derived its sensibilities from European design movements. Samarawickrema’s collaborations with artisans reinterpreted geometry, color, and space, transforming traditional techniques and motifs to create a new artistic language that resonated with the dynamic expressions of a contemporary global landscape. The artist is widely recognized for revitalizing Sri Lankan crafts through his work at the National Design Center of Sri Lanka and his collaborations with traditional weavers in Talagune, Udadumbara. Rekha brings together Samarawickrema’s tapestries, line drawings, etchings, animated film and sculptural work created between 1970 and 2025, celebrating the depth and breadth of his multi-disciplinary practice.