ABOUT ARTIST

Sanjeewa Kumara splits his time between the studio and the lecture hall. At the University of Kelaniya he teaches visual art and art‑history survey courses, guiding students through Sri Lanka’s cave paintings, colonial-period art, and today’s global trends.

In his own practice, Kumara makes what he calls “pictures”—bright, surreal scenes you can mentally step inside. Neon cows, masked deities, and mythic lions roam across acid‑coloured backdrops, re‑mixing cave‑painting symbols, colonial prints, and pop graphics. He labels the result “non‑Western Western art,” a playful way to show how Sri Lanka’s culture absorbs outside influences yet keeps its own voice.

“An abstract painting stays on the surface,” he says. “A picture is a space you enter.”

That space tackles big questions: How does colonial history still shape us? What does “self” mean in South Asian culture? By stitching many time‑lines into one image, Kumara invites viewers to rethink fixed identities.