Priyantha Udagedara left Sri Lanka in 2006 after receiving a scholarship to continue his education in art through the Masters in Art program at the Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. It was during this experience that later led to him following a practice based PhD at the same university where Udagedara’s art began to evolve in an unexpected way. While his earlier work too consisted of fantastical, layered colour, this new series of work that he first exhibited in 2010 at Paradise Road Galleries, began to show clear signs of a deeper evolution that had begun to take place in Udagedara’s practice.

Having grown up in Sri Lanka during the time of the civil war this escape to another culture allowed Udagedara the opportunity to reflect on his own experiences and those of his countrymen from a distant perspective. So his PhD entitled ‘Rediscovering Paradise – painting, representing and revision of identities’ came to be. In fact, Udagedara’s was the first submission to be passed at the university and this exhibition back n his homeland at Saskia Fernando presents a series of his work starting in 2012 as well as his return home.

Udagedara has exhibited his work in both the UK and Sri Lanka, as well as in numerous international venues including The Cross Art Project in Sydney and the Lalith Kala Academy Gallery in New Delhi.

This exhibition of mixed media canvases and watercolour works will be on exhibit daily at the Saskia Fernando Gallery, 41 Horton Place, Colombo 7 daily form 10am to 7pm until 13 December 2014.