Through The Cartographer’s Eye

Pala Pothupitiye’s artistic energies tend to explore a number of interpretations on identity within a discourse of ancestry, tradition, authenticity, urbanity, Geo-politics and dynamics of contemporary art practices. His work is culturally liberating in its unshackled ideology. The Sri Lankan artist’s series Sri Sri Lanka is a cartographic masterclass that explores the country’s identity, roots, culture and its intense history smouldering under the skin of the paradise destination.

The artist’s statement states, “These external interferences have created conflicts that are now deeply embedded in its history, the scars of which often surface in contemporary times: scars, which tell the story of the great losses to the island, most importantly, its identity… Sri Lanka re-looks at herself, in this case, through the eyes of a cartographer who questions his own traditional as well as academic upbringing in a politically-charged nation that, from his artistic vantage point, fails to address the venerated title – ‘Sri’ – the country is known for.” The series comes alive with poignancy and insights into religion, politics and evolving identities.

The island country, in conflict with its past and yet deeply in love with its soul, is given an imperative narration by its child, Pala Pothupitiye.

Titled ‘Sri Sri Lanka’, the exhibition primarily features a suite of Pala’s celebrated maps, on both paper and canvas. Each map delves into Sri Lanka’s rich historical past, and with each map, the artist attempts to decode another aspect of the nation’s fraught identity.

“The artist works with maps, carefully modifying and manipulating the image of Sri Lanka that is familiar to the viewer in its conventional form, but in this case, has morphed beyond recognition,” adds Gallery Director Hena Kapadia of TARQ.

About The Artist

Pala Pothupitiye was raised in a village of traditional southern Sri Lankan craft- artists, his work incorporates and reinterprets the material and philosophical content of traditional art. He is one of the core members of Theertha, an autonomous, artist-led, non- profit initiative in Colombo. Pothupitiye’s oeuvre spans several media including sculpture, painting, and drawing, with a special focus on the practice of ethnographic mapmaking. His works principally deal with the confrontation of concerns such as colonialism, nationalism, religious extremism and militarism, extending his inquiry to the questions of caste; the distinction between art and craft, between tradition and modernity; and generating a critique of Eurocentrism.