ABOUT ARTIST

Anura Krishantha (b.1976, Matara) is a founding member of the Theertha International Artists Collective and a key figure in Sri Lanka's contemporary art scene. His work is closely connected to the 90's Trend'- a movement where artists responded to the country's political and social issues using bold and unconventional methods.

Krishtantha's style is often described as ' Political Kitsch'- a form of art that uses, cheap flashy, everyday objects to expose the darker realities beneath their surfaces. Think of plastic toys, glossy home decor , and funeral wreaths- items that become popular in the late 1990's. He reimagines these objects to reflect on the anxieties of post war Sri Lanka and the commercialization of violence.

One of his most well- known works, featuring toy pistols turned into chairs, critiques how war and violence became a part of everyday life. This piece earned him a place among the top ten finalists at the signature Art Prize in 2008, hosted by the Singapore Art Museum.

Over time, Krishantha's work began drawing from another visual source: the vivid and sometimes disturbing ' hell scenes' found in late 19th- century Buddhist murals from Southern Sri Lanka. These religious images became powerful metaphor in nationalism promoted by those in power. His 2020 solo exhibition Southern Hell, held at the Theertha Red Dot Gallery, explored that in depth.

Today, Krishantha continues to work between two symbolic worlds: one made of mass produced plastic that represents global consumer culture, and other of vibrant Buddhist murals shaped by colonial influence an elite values in the South. Through this contrast, he investigates how identity belief, and power are shaped in modern Sri Lanka.