An epic interrogation of enslavement
Contemporising epics, the citadel every creative soul storms, only emphasises its timelessness. Here in context is the modern relevance of Ramayana which is the subject of Sri Lankan artist Priyantha Udagedara’s vibrant interrogation in his paintings. A large work of Hanuman carrying the sanjivani booti to save Lakshman features in his solo exhibition, titled Weathering Waves, on show at Exhibit320 in Delhi.
It is a floral reimagining of the incident which turns the course of the war. The monkey God is a significant figure in many other paintings on view.
The Ramayana inspired Udagedara’s work, which he sees as a holistic elucidation of the world that “focuses on Indo-Sri Lanka relations in a beautiful, mythological and lyrical way. After all, I do not and cannot make my works in a vacuum, unaware of what is happening in the world,” he says.
Working in a country which has seen political and economic devastation in the past couple of years, Udagedara’s paintings have political hues; for example, magical herbs will heal a fractured humanity. Dark satire can be read between the lines and strokes, invoking a false beauty rendered through tormented human figures and a morbid use of flora and fauna adding a layer of chaos and pain to the narrative.
The artist uses Ramayanic motifs, and gods and goddesses to take the viewer back to the island’s ethos before colonial corruption. “These deities existed long before the Portuguese arrived in Ceylon in 1505. The flora and fauna are the same; pure with histories that only nature can tell in its own language,” adds the 49-year-old. Udagedara explores mythology and nature using deep research. His paintings are products of more than two decades of such research.
The crossover from mythological heritage to colonial violation is by a bridge of colour linking the epic to the corrupting of a culture. The postcolonial impression of the island nation is displayed through untamed nature imagery.
“Before colonisation, my country was untainted by western influences. After over five centuries of being occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, Sri Lanka has changed.” His paintings imagine the country without these interferences: a pristine canvas without cultural antecedent.
Terror and beauty coexist in the imagery, juxtaposed by complex layers that evoke a sense of accepting the reality of colonisation. The canvas with ships sailing as colonial processes of ‘discovery’, dot the blue waves.
Udagedara says that artists can be political in varied ways: “I admire some of my Sri Lankan contemporaries who create bold activist works about the violence of the Civil War and various regimes that have corrupted the country.” He, feels that his practice is political in a different and understated way - a nostalgic perspective about what Sri Lanka was before colonisation and corrupt post-independence regimes. He yearns for a pristine space of innocence and hope.
“Sri Lanka’s tropical climate attracted colonists who grew natural herbs, fruits, rice, and tea, which was profitable. They exploited the cheap labour in the country. My works talks about colonial governing systems; the use of transport mechanisms by sea and the slow violation of Sri Lanka’s natural resources.”
Udagedara disapproves of mindless development; one that adversely impacts nature and heritage. “Sri Lanka, especially its governing structures, must find a good balance. Too much economic development and modern-day amenities without sensitivity to our heritage is dangerous,” he says, citing examples of climate change crisis.
The artist wishes that Sri Lanka, in the relentless search for development, should not compromise its heritage spaces. In a land that has seen soldiers of all colours and races for centuries, the artist is the last warrior of liberation.