‘Eyes Only’ by Gayan Prageeth – SASKIA FERNANDO GALLERY

SASKIA FERNANDO GALLERY

Feb 03 - Mar 03, 2021

^{All images courtesy of SASKIA FERNANDO GALLERY}

Gayan Prageeth’s latest exhibition, titled Eyes Only, revolves around the developments of the development of politics and corruption in Sri Lanka post-war. His thought provoking use of intricate illustrations of destruction and imagery illustrating these stories makes these art pieces distinct and interesting for the viewer. The floating images presented upon a surrealistic backdrop create dream like images, intricate and beautiful in their nature, perhaps as an intentional juxtaposition of the narrative and the implications of beautification. In this series, the artist incorporates his geometric and realistic painting styles in surrealistic visuals that provide a critical and analytical view. The works, in various approaches, document the development of recent events tainted by corruption, war, ethnic conflict and disappearances. His canvases are a juxtaposition of delicate illustration and intense conceptual work that lead the viewer into a sensitive debate of current affairs.

Gayan Prageeth is an artist whose work reflects a deep concern for the state of society and politics in Sri Lanka. His exhibitions are acclaimed for paintings and installations that delve into the psyche of the country. Eyes Only looks at the developments of post-war regeneration in the context of political corruption, enforced disappearances and ethnic conflict. These reflections are presented in an intricate surrealism where, for example, notions of growth and destruction are juxtaposed in dismantled landscapes. Such scenes, recurrent in the exhibition, emphasize the reality of the Anthropocene: the current geological epoch shaped by humankind. While such consequences occur on a global scale, they often begin locally. Gayan’s critiqued subjects include nationalism, militarization, terrorism, beautification, climate change and spirituality in a cohesive discourse.

It is difficult to speak about Sri Lanka without bringing up its natural qualities. Gayan, in turn, explores the violation of the island’s sacred nature. While he remarks that everyone has a responsibility towards society, it rings particularly true for ideas placed in the public realm. A rapid redevelopment policy, known as ‘beautification’, currentlyruns rampant. The artist interrogates this policy of nationalism and supposed development via a series of surreal and dream-like paintings. It is the aftermath depicted in these paintings that is brought into question: to what end? What is the cost of replacing real, diverse beauty with superficiality? The proud, floating head of a lion and a bathtub housing a lotus pond are some of the objects that remain in bleak and devastated landscapes. It is as if the only thing that deserves to remain in a human-engineered climate apocalypse is the indomitable spirit of mankind. However, there is a sliver of hope, although somewhat independent of humanity, in this investigation. In an ethereal painting of a singular lotus stem, there are seeds that are replications of planet Earth. This idea gives hope to the possibility that newer and better worlds may be borne out of the destruction of another. It brings to mind the classical and proverbial Buddhist statement that if there is no mud present, there can be no lotus.

He investigates its implications on a wider scale in the installation Misplaced I, where a number of glass bottles are positioned with portraits of missing people inside them. This refers to the Thovil ritual in which priests trap evil spirits inside bottles and are purged from households by being thrown out. The installation implies a systematic operation where individuals disruptive to a governing system are disposed of in a ritualistic and regular manner. The showcase title refers to Sri Lanka’s political corruption and its penchant for making people permanently disappear. It primarily makes reference to the secretive information that decides what happens in the country. Access to such information is privileged to those who, despite their civil obligations, remain, like Gayan’s lattice-work, decidedly opaque.

While Eyes Only makes no explicit reference to the ongoing pandemic, Gayan’s critique reveals its impact on society. In the installation PRISONERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS, he refers to recent prison riots that resulted in the deaths of numerous prisoners. The sculptural artwork is a presentation with English letters and words filled with charcoal and bullet shells. It is aimed at exploring the fact that prisoners are amongst the most vulnerable people in society. They are often the product of failed systems that fall short of justice and equality, and that tend to criminalize poverty. In the context of the pandemic, this installation opens up the question of who should be among the first to receive the vaccine. The vulnerability, both physical and mental, of prisoners living in cramped conditions needs to be accounted for. The answer, universally, remains to be seen. If it takes critical exhibitions like Eyes Only to make such discussions more public, one can only hope to see more of them.