Kingsley Gunatillake’s employs found objects in his sculpture and the deliberate use of lyrical movement
of ink on washi paper in his calligraphy. The rhythm of the calligraphy brush is matched by the vibrancy
of his colours, layering a meditative landscape with narratives of peace and energy while dynamic
moments of luminous thought break free from the paper, punctuating its tranquillity. His sculpture
appropriates old books, stripping them of their purpose and transforming them into landscapes of terror
and violence. He plays with the idea that the written word, now subverted, is irrelevant as objective
truth. Within its trenches and territorialities marked by its edges and its folds, are placed figures of
copper soldiers. They contradict themselves: Small and insignificant, yet imbued with the intent to wage
war, violence and mayhem. In this exhibition, his work represents a philosophical approach that speaks
to the complexities of war and the inherent violence within humans at war – fractured and torn between
the peace for which they yearn and the means with which to achieve it. He asks the viewer to shed their
fantasies and see a country at war for what it is – a place of turmoil rather than resolution.