P.S. Sanjeewa Kumara

About

Born in 1971 in Colombo, Sanjeewa Kumara has developed a highly conspicuous, self-declared surrealist style over his last 15 years as an artist. He explores the use of lush, sensual imagery, and how the collision between Western pop culture and the South Asian island's post-colonial legacy impacts the imagination. His eclectic, electric-hued compositions provide far more than purely aesthetic pleasure; instead, they delve into the heart of post-colonial legacy and question what is meant by the 'self' in art and culture.

His ultimate goal is to synchronize diverse historical elements into a visual pastiche, creating a unique visual language that he terms 'Non-western Western art'. His pictures re-contextualize traditional myths and stories, placing cows, elephants, lions, and deities against bold acid-coloured backdrops and eccentric motifs to take the viewer straight into the uncanny.

Artist Statement

"In recent years my art works are becoming abundant with flying six-legged elephants, floating hunters, flower paradise, and all sorts of creative creatures, which have made the paintings increasingly colorful. I paint no such paradise. I paint something extremely more difficult: their echo! It is not about the arrival, but the excerpt from paradise. I bring the viewer to a surreal reservoir of images of Sri Lankan history, the furniture of a bygone colonial world, Egyptian art, rococo art, Indian legends, Greek philosophy, planets, and space. Strange perspectives and patterns encode the content of my works and demand the viewer to walk through centuries, while thinking about his own life."

Education

• 2003: Master of Fine Arts (Interdisciplinary Research Visual Arts and Media) – Dutch Art Institute, The Netherlands.
• 2001: Diploma (Painting) – AKI Academy of Fine Arts, The Netherlands.
• 1999: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) – Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Appointments

• 2025: Founding Member and Chairman of ART RHIZOME - Artist Run Space.
• 2005 – Present: Visiting Lecturer, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
• 2011 – 2013: Temporary Lecturer, Visual Arts & Design And Performing Arts Unit, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• 2002 – 2021: Persistent annual/biennial solo showcases at Paradise Road Galleries in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• 2004: Head office in Prins Claus Fund in The Hague, Netherlands.
• 2004: Villa De Bank in Enschede, The Netherlands.
• 2003: Gallery Art Korner in The Hague, Netherlands.
• 2000: Galerie De Waagh in Oldenzaal, The Netherlands.

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2016: 'The Missing One' Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• 2015: 'My Country' Bernarducci Meisel Gallery, New York, USA.
• 2014 – 2015: Sovereign Asian Art Prize Finalists' Exhibition, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.
• 2011: Contemporary Art from Sri Lanka, Asia House, London, UK.
• 2009: Colombo Art Biennale, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• 2008: 'Expressions of Independence', The Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France.
• 2008: ARTFUL RESISTANCE Crisis and Creativity in Sri Lanka, Museum of Ethnology, Vienna, Austria.

Grants & Awards

• 2015: Finalist – The Sovereign Asian Art Prize in Hong Kong.
• 2001: Grant for study abroad, The President's Fund Sri Lanka.
• 2000: Local grant, The Netherlands Embassy, Sri Lanka.
• 1999: Grant for travel to Netherlands, Prins Claus Fund, The Netherlands.