Kingsley Gunatilake (B. 1951)
“Kingsley Gunatilake has used his exuberant palate to produce Greenbergian-type canvases. However, his strength lies in his powerful installation work. Kingsley can be regarded as a unique artist who used the maximum expressive potential of installation art in Sri Lanka.” Godwin Constantine
Kingsley Gunatillake’s artistic journey began with charcoal sketches in his childhood home, eventually leading him to pursue formal education in the arts. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Kelaniya in 1979 and later obtained a Diploma in Environmental Education from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, in 1994. Gunatillake’s diverse practice encompasses painting, sculpture, installation, and book art, often exploring themes of socio-political and environmental concerns. His work is deeply influenced by the expressive linearity of Chinese and Japanese ink paintings, aiming to convey the complex weight of human emotions and experiences through abstract forms.
A significant aspect of Gunatillake’s oeuvre is his exploration of book art, where he transforms books into visual objects that reflect on the traumatic history of Sri Lanka’s civil war. His ‘wounded’ books, characterized by burning and cutting, serve as meditative acts of remembrance and witness, particularly inspired by the 1981 burning of the Jaffna Library. These works challenge dominant post-war narratives and offer sensory responses to the experience and perpetration of violence. Through this medium, Gunatillake addresses the aftermath of war, the consequences of destruction, and the rationality left in their inheritance.
Gunatillake’s contributions to the art world have been recognized both nationally and internationally. He has received two NOMA Awards from Japan (1993 and 2003) and an illustration award from the Biennale Bratislava in Slovakia (1997). In 2001, he was honored with the Bunka Award for Visual Arts for his exceptional conservation work at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. His works have been exhibited in various countries, including the UK, the Philippines, Ireland, India, and Japan, and are part of prestigious collections such as the Presidential Collection of Contemporary Art in Sri Lanka and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi. Gunatillake has also illustrated children’s books. One of which, The Little Kite, won an honorable mention at the prestigious Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB) in 1987.
Beyond his artistic practice, Gunatillake is dedicated to art education and community engagement. He serves as a visiting lecturer at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo and is a council member of the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts. In 2000, he founded the Child Art Studio, organizing workshops and exhibitions for children and providing educational programs for art students and teachers. Through these initiatives, Gunatillake continues to inspire and nurture the next generation of artists in Sri Lanka.
Solo Exhibitions
Year | Exhibition | Venue |
2025 | MARĀ | PRSFG, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2023 | OTO | Himi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan |
2022 | OTO | Barefoot Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2021 | In–Between | Paradise Road Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2020 | Yen | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2019 | Book Art Blueprint | Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, India |
2019 | In Between | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2017 | Finding Space | Paradise Road Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2011 | Book Art Exhibition | British Council, Kandy, Sri Lanka |
2009 | Inventive Landscapes | Paradise Road Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2007 | Year Planner | Lionel Wendt Art Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2006 | Mushrooms | Paradise Road Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2006 | Pruned | Alliance Francaise de Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2006 | Pruned | Alliance Francaise de Kandy, Kandy, Sri Lanka |
2006 | Displaced | India Art Gallery, Pune, India |
2006 | Displaced | Trinity Chapel, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland |
2004 | Bath | Paradise Road Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2003 | Anduna | VAFA Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2001 | Fragrance of Lemon Yellow | Paradise Road Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
1998 | Art for Environment | British Council, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
1998 | Year Planner | Alliance Francaise de Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
1997 | Displaced | Heritage Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
1996 | Displaced | SM Mega Mall, Manila, Philippines |
1994 | Life of a Candle | University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK |
1986 | Exhibition of Paintings | Oberoi Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
1981 | Visual Art Exhibition | Lionel Wendt Art Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Group Exhibitions
Year | Exhibition | Venue |
2024 | Chronicles | Freize Seoul, Seoul, South Korea |
2020 | 4th Jeju Biennale | Jeju, South Korea |
2023 | India Art Fair | New Delhi, India |
2023 | A Cross Section: Contemporary Sri Lankan Art | Iran Cultural Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2020 | Human Rights Exhibition | JDA Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2019 | The Days We Screamed | Theertha’s Red Dot Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2017 | K K Exhibition | Fugentei Gallery, Kumamoto, Japan |
2016 | Book Art Exhibition | New Delhi, India |
2015 | Genesis | SOJO Gallery Kumamoto, Japan |
2014 | Serendipity Revealed (Colombo Art Biennale) | Hempel Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka and Brunei Gallery, London, UK |
2014 | Reading Room | TARQ, Mumbai, India |
2014 | Making History (Colombo Art Biennale) | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2014 | Serendipity Revealed | CAP PROJECT SPACE, Hong Kong |
2013 | Identities: A Visual Engagement (Colomboscope) | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2013 | Temporary Permanence: Contemporary Art from Sri Lanka | XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE |
2011 | Contemporary Art from Sri Lanka | Asia House, London, UK |
2009 | Imagining Peace (Colombo Art Biennale) | Park Street Mews, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2008 | Artful Resistance: Crisis and Creativity in Sri Lanka | Museum of Ethnology, Vienna, Austria |
2008 | Expression of Independence | Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France |
2004 | NOMA Exhibition of Children’s Books and Illustrations | NOMA, Kyoto, Japan |
2003 | Serendipity | October Gallery, London, UK |
Publications and Books Illustrated
Year | Publication |
2025 | PRSFG Kicks Off 2025 with Kingsley Gunatillake’s ‘Māra’ Exhibition. DailyFT, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1st February 2025. |
2021 | In-Between II: A Celebration of Abstract Art. Daily Mirror. 29th July 2021. |
2021 | Kingsley Moves Away from Brush and Easel. Sunday Times, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 25th July, 2021. |
2017 | ‘Finding Space’ by Kingsley Gunatillake at Paradise Road Galleries. DailyFT, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 6th January 2017. |
1985 | The Little Kite. Published by Media Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Text by Theodore Warnakulasuriya. (Illustrator) |
Ref :KG 104
Title :Nude
Signed :Lower Right
Year :1993
Measurements in Cms :58 x 59.5
Material Used :Acrylic on oil Canvas
Ref :KG 106
Title :Nude
Signed :Upper Left
Year :1993
Measurements in Cms :59 x 59
Material Used :Acrylic on oil Canvas
Ref :KG 102
Title :Displaced
Signed :Lower Middle
Year :1996
Measurements in Cms :76 x 137.5
Material Used :Acrylic/Canvas on Wood
Ref :KG 110
Title :Year Planner
Signed :Lower Middle
Year :2007
Measurements in Cms :30.5 x 30.5
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :KG 112
Title :Year Planner
Signed :Lower Left
Year :2007
Measurements in Cms :40 x 40
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :KG 117
Title :Landscape
Signed :Lower Right
Year :2007
Measurements in Cms :91.5 x 76.5
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :KG 118
Title :Renunciation
Signed :Reverse
Year :2007
Measurements in Cms :31 x 31
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :KG 119 A1, A2, A3
Title :Renunciation (Triptych) A1, A2, A3
Signed :Reverse
Year :2007
Measurements in Cms :31 x 93 all 3 Together
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :KG 120 B 1, B2, B3
Title :Renunciation (Triptych) B 1, B2, B3
Signed :Reverse
Year :2007
Measurements in Cms : 31 x 93 all 3 together
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :KG 145
Title :Untitled
Signed :Lower Right
Year :2008
Measurements in Cms :91 x 76
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :KG 169
Title :Book Art
Signed :Reverse
Year :2009
Measurements in Cms : 69 x 59.5
Material Used :Mixed Medium on Canvass
Ref :KG 1
Title :Displaced
Measurements in Cms :91 x 121
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref : KG 7
Title :Displaced
Measurements in Cms : 91 x 142.5
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Education
Year | Qualification | Institute |
1994 | Diploma in Environmental Education | University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland |
1979 | BFA (Painting) | University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka |
