Shanaka Kulathanga’s exhibition to remain open at CGA Gallery till May 28
Inside the warmly lit halls of the CCA Gallery at Bikaner House, Sri Lankan artist Shanaka Kulathunga has created a world suspended between memory, mythology and melancholy. His debut solo exhibition in India, ‘Silent Stories’, presented by Gallery Silver Scapes, is less an art show and more an emotional journey through forgotten villages, shifting identities and the depths of human struggle.
Featuring more than 40 works, spanning oils, acrylics and charcoal, the exhibition explores themes of nostalgia, rural life, mythology, emotional conflict and the fragile relationship between humanity and nature. Yet despite the range of subjects, every canvas seems tied together by one recurring idea, the search for humanity in a rapidly changing world.
Kulathunga (45) traces his artistic beginnings back to his childhood in rural Sri Lanka. Speaking to The Tribune, he recalled how his first drawings were inspired not by dreams of becoming an artist, but by the animals and landscapes surrounding him. “I started painting when I was around five years old,” he said. “I loved the cattle, goats and the environment around me. I just wanted to keep records of them.”
The childhood nostalgia continues to shape his work today. Across the exhibition, memories of his village appear repeatedly — in streams, trees, animals, fading houses and solitary figures caught in moments of reflection. In works such as ‘Fading Facades’ and ‘New Notes and Sunlight Through the Gate’, bustling streets and ageing pieces of architecture become meditations on memory and urban transformation.
“I am still looking for my childhood in those paintings,” Kulathunga said. “My village is changing, the environment is changing, but I remain attached to those memories.” His paintings often blur the boundaries between reality and idealistic symbolism. Human figures coexist with foxes, rabbits, monkeys and cattle, while masks and surreal imagery quietly reflect emotional tension and social anxiety. That psychological depth is most visible in his “Lucimangel” series — works that question the duality within human beings.
“My works are about the struggle of being good,” the artist explained. “About angels and devils existing within the same person. About questioning whether we are really civilised.” In one striking work, masked figures surround a woman weighed down by invisible emotional burdens. In another, a musician stands amid animals and symbolic creatures, turning the canvas into a surreal reflection of modern life.
The exhibition also reveals Kulathunga’s fascination with mythology and spirituality. His charcoal work ‘Ananda Thandawa’ captures Lord Shiva’s cosmic dance through energetic strokes, while ‘Son of the Wind’ (Vayuputhra) portrays Hanuman with dramatic intensity and spiritual force.
Curated by Archana Khare-Ghose, the exhibition marks an important cultural exchange between India and Sri Lanka. The opening evening drew diplomats, artists and cultural figures, including Sri Lankan High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne. Diana Mickevičienė, Ambassador of Lithuania to India, also visited the exhibition.
Gallery director Vikram Mayor said audiences in India had connected strongly with the emotional honesty of Kulathunga’s work. “I have always admired the emotional depth and painterly quality of his practice, particularly the sensitivity in his landscapes and seascapes,” he added.
The exhibition opening also featured traditional Sri Lankan dance performances and cuisine, transforming the event into a larger celebration of shared South Asian cultural memory. Beyond the diplomacy and celebration, ‘Silent Stories’ shines because of its emotional restraint. Kulathunga’s paintings do not overwhelm viewers with spectacle. Instead, they invite silence, contemplation and personal reflection.
Whether painting a lone tree bending in the wind, a child holding a lamb or an ageing street slowly disappearing with time, the artist consistently returns to themes of vulnerability, memory and belonging. Asked to describe the exhibition in a single word, Kulathunga paused before gently answering, “Humanity.”
The ‘Silent Stories’ exhibition will remain open to the public at CCA Gallery, Bikaner House, till May 28, from 10 am to 7 pm.
