Exhibitions
Saskia Fernando Gallery
Mar 03 - Apr 02, 2023
Sumi Perera, 2022, Shattering the Glass Ceiling 3, Etching, Aquatint, Incision, Layering and Stitching, 15.5×20.5×3cm
All images courtesy of Saskia Fernando Gallery
Saskia Pintelon, 2017, Yes or Not Are You an Exhibitionist, Mixed Media on Board, 30×21cm
Hansika Herath, 2023, Hidden Story 31, Woodcut print, 61×91 cm
Saskia Fernando Gallery is pleased to present an upcoming group exhibition ‘With My Back to the World' in celebration of International Women’s Day 2023, curated by Mariyam Begum and Ashini Nanayakkara. The exhibition will feature work by Fabienne Francotte, Hansika Herath, Chathurika Jayani, Shaanea Mendis, Ashini Nanayakkara, Sabeen Omar, Anoli Perera, Sumi Perera, Saskia Pintelon, Anoma Rajakaruna, Hema Shironi and Anoma Wijewardene.
Sabeen Omar, 2022, The wind got up in the night and took our plans away, fabric and chalk gesso, 48×30×4cm
Chathurika jayani, 2023, Dreamscape 30 Acrylic corrugated board and woollen thread on canvas, 70×50cm
Anoli Perera, UntitledⅡ, 2016, Archival Print, 33×31cm
Borrowing its title from the 1997 work by Agnes Martin, With My Back to the World asks the viewer to observe, feel and respond to the subtleties in art-making without seeking a cause or reason. It is an attempt to grasp what remains in the liminal spaces where materials are moulded, arranged, reshaped, and deconstructed. This is an invitation to actively engage with process and the tactile conversations that emerge across different disciplines. Whether it be embroidery, beadwork, woodblock printing, painting, sculpture, assemblage, or photography, there is much that transpires within the silent interstices of subtle gestures.
Hema Shironi, 2020, The Walking House Stitched on Fabric, 76×152 cm, Installation view
Fabienne Francotte, 2022, The Thickness of Silence III, Oil and Embroidery on Canvas, 38×40cm
Anoma Wijewardene, 2019, Migrant, Mixed media on paper, 46×39cm
Shaanea Mendis, 2023, Celestial Foot, Watercolour, goldleaf, pen and ink on paper, 26×26cm
With My Back to the World foregrounds the myriad ways in which these artists actively engage with material and process to communicate the ideas they are concerned with. Here the act of making takes precedence over the finished product—every action or gesture is oriented towards a purpose and serves towards creating the overall meaning of the work. As opposed to decoding the meaning of a work, the exhibition is an invitation to slow down and enagage with the process of art making, even when it isn’t discernible in the final work.
Ashini Nanayakkara, 2021, City of Bits, Archival pigment inkjet print, 90×77cm
Anomaa Rajakaruna, 2019, Yet There Is Hope 2, Giclée Print on Archival Photo Paper, 30×48cm
