A fabricated truth with no structure and time

By Isuri Kaviratne

Well known for his surreal paintings, Sanjeewa Kumara believes that civilization has destroyed our identity and tries to find his own way through his paintings. His sixth art exhibition is being held at Paradise Road Galleries from June 1 to June 25.

Sanjeewa Kumara

“My paintings have stories within the main story. There are multiple themes, not just one,” he explains adding, “I believe both truth and realism are fabricated. So, we can fabricate any truth. And that is the message I’m trying to convey through my paintings.”

“I paint the truth I fabricated,” he says. Describing the evolution of art, he said when people knew only about the land, their paintings were all about landscapes. When man discovered the sea, his paintings reflected the sea. “And now, we are in the space age. So, I try to give that space feeling through my paintings,” he added.

“But in my space, there aren’t any structured animals. There are elephants with wings, or with six legs and so on.”

Adding that he doesn’t give much concern to ‘time’, he says that in his paintings, there is past, present and future. “We live in a society where anything can happen. People are losing emotions. I am trying to bring these back through my paintings.

“A small child, who cannot talk, has his own way of expressing his feelings in an uncorrupted way. But with speaking and hearing abilities this innocence disappears. My aim is to activate these uncorrupted modes of communication through my paintings,” he says.