Sarath’s latest works on show
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Step into an oasis of bright colours, shapes and transcendent depictions at the 2025 exhibition hosted by renowned artist S. H. Sarath. Titled Colour, it will showcase his most recent works. The exhibition will run from April 3- 6 from 10a.m. to 6p.m. at Sarath’s Gallery, 18A Sarasavi Gardens, Nawala Road, Nugegoda.
The beauty of Sarath’s works is that they depict the raw truths of life, including love, lust, spirituality, human struggle and the abjection of sins in non-concrete ways. There are therefore many possible interpretations of each painting, making them special to the viewer.
While the interpretation is subjective, it is still wonderful to have the artist’s perspective on his work. Talking to Sarath about his favourite work of the exhibition, a painting called Lovers that combines Kandyan art and costume with Picasso’s cubism, he explains that the flowers represent the couple’s happiness and the love blossoming in their hearts. The lotus flower in the man’s hand is a specific representation of his love. Sarath has made use of many shades of colour, depicting the dream-like state created by the ecstasy of a perfect relationship. The message is that love is eternal and the one thing we should all strive for.
Sarath was born in Weligama and was inspired by the Kandyan mural paintings that adorned the walls of the local temples, as well as the seascapes and coastal forests of his village, and even the colourful shopping bags found at the local market. He started out at the Government College of Fine Arts in Colombo where he studied painting and sculpture between 1968 and 1973. He went on to Silpakorn University in Bangkok, Thailand from 1979 to 1980 under a UNESCO Fellowship to study Thai and Sri Lankan art. He later studied visual arts and printmaking at the University of South Australia in Adelaide in 1995 and 1996. The confluence of his varied education is evident in the wide tapestry of his visual and textural palette.
Sarath has also lent his touch to makeup and costume design for the cinema and has had a hand in stage sets. However, his paintings are his greatest accomplishment, as his style is a unique amalgamation of his intellect, perception and ability to pull apart a subject and put it back together using a combination of traditional Sri Lankan and Western artistic elements.
So drop by and gaze upon these paintings. You may just discover something about the world around you, or even about yourself reflected within the brush strokes.
- Abigail Jayasuriya
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