Works by Anoli Perera and 2010 Sovereign Asian Art Prize winner Pala Pothupitiye will be exhibited at the CAP Project Space, 2/126 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, in the first exhibition of Sri Lankan art to be held in Hong Kong.

Pala Pothupitiye was the first Sri Lankan artist to enter and win Asia’s largest contemporary art award, The Sovereign Asian Art Prize which is now in its 10th edition, with his artwork, ‘Jaffna Map’, a piece that depicts the Sri Lankan city of Jaffna during the height of the war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sinhala Lions. Ferocious teeth and claws of Lions and Tigers decorate the land mass, while ‘internally displaced persons’ are represented in the border areas, being chased away from the bestial clash.

Pothupitiye describes his work as a constant interpretation of identity. Serendipity Revealed is a testament to the growing international recognition of the contemporary art coming out of Sri Lanka post the Civil War, which Pothupitiye has done so much to support. The artist is exhibiting in Hong Kong with his newest series of works which are a response to problems specific to his home country, primarily questions of caste and the distinction between art and craft, tradition and modernity, from a geopolitical stance which is accessible to viewers around the world. The series sees the artist working directly onto archival prints and antique maps, it is a powerful development of his exploration of notions of ownership, nationalism and identity.

This year The Sovereign Art Foundation has pledged support to a Pothupitiye initiative, the volunteer ran Mullegame Art Centre in Columbo, with the aim to help young people in economically disadvantaged areas engage with art practices as a form of education and expression.

-Sovereign Art Foundation

Opening times: 5th-10th December 2013, 10am-6pm or by appointment

Image: © Pala Pothupitiye
Detail of Untitled
2013
Pencil, Ink and Acrylic on Antique Map
80 x 63cm