Public posters remade through gaze of an artist
View(s):
Stick No Bills, Hashan Cooray’s latest body of work features a selection of posters stripped from the public walls of Colombo illustrating a critical mixture of politics, consumerism and social critique.They eventually make their way to his digital and painted canvases, moving from one type of public display to another, filtered through Hashan’s discerning gaze as they become interwoven with the pigments of his portraiture work.
Born in Colombo, 1987, Hashan pursued a career as a visual artist via unconventional means of both self-learning, courses in fine art and his experience as an Art Director in the advertising industry. He has presented his work in group and solo exhibitions.
Travelling during the night on resource-gathering forays, Hashan tears off these posters from the walls that form the city. The posters in question are often layered upon each other over days and weeks.He takes images and text and through a series of canvases, poster prints and video art, Stick No Bills presents the artist’s experience of navigating the worlds of commercial advertising, political propaganda and social critique by contrasting media headlines with a set of vibrant colour palettes that also reflect the traditional CMYK colour printing sequences of modern print media.
Exploring the impact that excessive multimedia propaganda has on the psyche of an individual, he looks at themes of deception, power and violence. Repurposed in his studio, these new samples aim to give the power back to the viewer. Hashan’s selection of poster material includes headlines and bodies of text that question passed laws and failed policies that include education, labour, the environment, poverty, militarisation and misconduct. In addition, the unbearable necessities of life and dignity are held in contrast to the indifferent demands of consumerist culture.
The exhibition explores how these factors all partake in the waves of noise that permeate the collective consciousness, as each attempt to define and determine the Sri Lankan identity.
Hashan Cooray’s exhibition is on display to the public at Saskia Fernando Gallery, No. 41, Horton Place, Colombo 7 until April 10. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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