Top Story,Feature l by Tina Edward Gunawardhana l 23 Apr 2021     - 160

Searching for connectivity


Rupaneethan Pakkiyarajah seeks a connection between the different identities in Sri Lanka.

Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana

Photograph: Damith Wickramasinghe

Born in Batticaloa in 1991, Rupaneethan Pakkiyarajah is a visual artist who hails from a family of artists and dramatists. Rupaneethan has been exposed to many outside experiences and international artists, all of whom have shaped his work.

Rupaneethan is not only a visual artist but is also a teacher of sculpture and drawing at the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. He grew up in the middle of a theatre of war which according to him has undoubtedly influenced his artistic oeuvre.

Invited by Sri Lanka’s leading art connoisseur Shanth Fernando to exhibit his work at the Paradise Road Galleries, Rupaneethan had presented a series of art which depicted landscapes and land-based conflicts, alongside the construction of identity in Sri Lanka.

Meticulously drawn fine details are the hallmarks of his work which observes not only how landscapes can embody caste, class, race and religious identities, but also offers space for difference and interdependency between people and the possibility of collective identity where connections can be forged across borders and divisions.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Edward Gunawardhana

Tina Edward Gunawardhana is the Deputy Editor of Hi!! Magazine. She writes on a variety of topics which include travel, fashion, lifestyle, cuisine and personalities. She is also a journalist for the Daily Mirror Life. An intrepid traveller, Tina likes to show readers the world through her eyes and experiences. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - tinajourno or email her at tinajourno@gmail.com

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