Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah (B.1989)
“In his 1939 collection of poems, Svendborg Gedichte, Bertolt Brecht wrote an epigraph on resistance in hardship: In the dark times, will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times.
This quote aptly applies to Sri Lankan artist Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah’s practice, which is steeped in the provocative power of the voice—one that evokes a reckoning rather than providing a source of relief.” Pallavi Surana
Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah is a multidisciplinary artist whose work delves into the complex interplay between trauma, memory, and the environment. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art & Design from the University of Jaffna in 2014, he pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a Fulbright scholar. Currently, he serves as a senior lecturer in visual arts at the Swami Vipulananda Institute for Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University, Sri Lanka, where he teaches painting, drawing, and mixed media. Pakkiyarajah has been recognized with prestigious fellowships, including the South Asia Studies Fellowship at Cornell University in 2018 and a Visiting Fellowship at the University of Essex in 2020. His work has been showcased internationally, notably at the 15th Sharjah Biennial in 2023 and in other exhibitions across Mumbai, New York, and Los Angeles.
Pakkiyarajah’s art is deeply rooted in his personal experiences and the collective memory of Sri Lanka’s prolonged civil war. His interdisciplinary practice encompasses installations, performance-based soundscapes, videos, and drawings that explore the war’s devastating impact on both human lives and the ecological landscape. Using motifs such as mycelium, his work reflects on how nature bears the scars of conflict and how these wounds are intertwined with human suffering. Through his art, Pakkiyarajah aims to disrupt the normalization of life post-trauma, foregrounding histories of violence to foster remembrance and healing.
In his 2019 solo exhibition “Wounded Landscape” at Saskia Fernando Gallery in Colombo, Pakkiyarajah presented a series of works that examined the fraught relationship between the state and individuals in conflict-affected regions of Sri Lanka. Employing techniques such as photography, digital manipulation, photo-cutting, and collage, he offered an objective understanding of these dynamics. The exhibition’s mood was intentionally unsettling, drawing inspiration from his firsthand experiences of violence and war to lay bare the painful realities of the past, enabling viewers to grieve, heal, and move forward.
Pakkiyarajah’s recent works continue to explore themes of trauma and ecological degradation. In pieces like “Hidden Mycelium in a Wounded Land II” (2022–2023), he makes use of materials such as textile, wood dust, and automotive enamel to create evocative installations that symbolize the lingering effects of war on the environment. His 2024 exhibition “We Will See” at Experimenter – Colaba in Mumbai further delved into these themes, offering a lens into how nature is rendered vulnerable due to human actions and how these elements are inextricably linked.
Solo Exhibitions
Year | Exhibition | Venue |
2023 | Straddling Ocean and Sky | Brief Histories, Lower Manhattan, New York, USA |
2022 | The Red Carpet | Institut für Alles Mögliche, Berlin, Germany |
2019 | Wounded Landscapes | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2018 | The Disappearance of Disappearances | History of Art Gallery, Cornell University, New York, USA |
2017 | Disappearance | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2016 | Inequality | Paradise Road Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Group Exhibitions
Year | Exhibition | Venue |
2025 | India Art Fair 2025 | NSIC Exhibition Grounds, New Delhi, India |
2024 | Way of the Forest | Warehouse 421, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
2024 | Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah & Vikrant Bhise: We Will See | Experimenter, Colaba, Mumbai, India |
2023 | Thinking Historically in the Present (Sharjah Biennial 15) | Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |
2023 | Titen: Embodied Knowledge, Shifting Grounds (17th Biennale Jogja) | Yogyakarta, Indonesia |
2022 | Of Love and War | Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany |
2022 | 2022 MFA Thesis Show | Ouroboros Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
2021 | Tonight No Poetry Will Serve | Barefoot Gallery, Galle, Sri Lanka |
2021 | Love Thy Neighbour | Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom |
2021 | Future Landing (Serendipity Arts Festival) | Virtual |
2020 | Art in Curfew | Virtual |
2019 | Five | Baik Art, Los Angeles, California, USA |
2019 | Crossing Place | Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2019 | Crossing Place | Baik Art, Los Angeles, California, USA |
2019 | A Cross-section | Jaleh Gallery. Tehran, Iran |
2019 | Look, Stranger! (Serendipity Arts Festival) | Goa, India |
2018 | When Memory Lives | York University, Toronto, Canada |
2018 | Living on the Margins | Brunei Gallery (United Kingdom), Park Gallery (Nepal), Sapumal Modern Art Museum (Sri Lanka), University of London (United Kingdom) |
2018 | Embodying Power | Sapumal Modern Art Museum. Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2017 | Human Rights Arts Festival | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2016 | Young Subcontinent (Serendipity Arts Festival) | Goa, India |
2016 | Liminal Space: Reconfiguring Identity and Space through Contemporary Art | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2016 | Conceiving Space (Colombo Art Biennale) | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2016 | Truth to Truth | Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts. (VAFA), Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2016 | C/A/M/P – Contemporary Artists’ Meeting Point | Lionel Wendt Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2015 | Shadow Scenes (Colomboscope) | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2015 | Seven Conversations | Saskia Fernando Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2014 | The Kavitha Talent Programme | JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2013 | Open Edit Mobile Library | Park Street Mews, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
2013 | The SAARC Artist Camp and Exhibition | National Art Gallery, Male, Maldives |
2013 | 3rd Year Art and Design Students Exhibition | The Art Gallery, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka |
2012 | Pesappadathathu | Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University, Vantharumoolai, Sri Lanka |
2008 | War Period | Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University, Vantharumoolai, Sri Lanka |
Publications
Year | Publication |
2023 | Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah Explores Neutrality in the Face of Political Trauma. StirWorld, New Delhi, India. 04th June, 2023. |
2022 | War and Its Objects: Reflections of the Sri Lankan Civil War in S. P. Pushpakanthan’s Art. South Asian Review, Volume 43, 2022 – Issue 3- 4. Authored by Prabha Manuratne. |
2022 | Between Quarantine and Quest – A Bilingual Anthology of Art, Poetry and Writing, Edited by Naila Mahmood and Kashif Raza, Published by Vasl Artists’ Association. (Contributor) |
2021 | Of Illness & Artistic Expression. Artra Magazine, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 29th June, 2021. |
2021 | Artist Rupaneethan Pakkiyarajah in Search of Connection at Paradise Road Galleries. Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31st March 2021. |
2021 | Searching for Connectivity. Hi Magazine, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 23rd April 2021. |
2020 | When Tragedy Inspires. Design India, Pune, India. 14th December 2020. |
2019 | ‘Wounded Landscapes’ by Pakkiyarajah Pushpakanthan. DailyFT, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 12th October 2019. |
Ref :PUSHPA 71
Title :Triangle Ⅰ
Signed :Lower Left
Year :2015
Measurements in Cms :52 x 52
Material Used :Pigment Ink and Acrylic on paper
Ref :PUSHPA 87
Title :Unfairness IV
Signed :Lower Right/ Reverse
Year :2015
Measurements in Cms :77 x 88
Material Used :Acrylic on Canvas
Ref :PUSHPA 2
Title :Wounded Landscape
Signed :Lower Left/ Reverse
Year :2018
Measurements in Cms :20.3 x 30
Material Used :Pigment & Ink on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 3
Title :Terrorism has no Religion II
Signed :Reverse
Year :2018
Measurements in Cms :20.3 x 30
Material Used :Pigment & Ink on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 6
Title :Disappearance of Disappearances
Signed :Lower Right/ Reverse
Year :2018
Measurements in Cms :20.3 x 30.8
Material Used :Pigment & Ink on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 61
Title :Wounded Landscape
Signed :Reverse
Year :2018
Measurements in Cms :23 x 31
Material Used :Pigment ink and Acrylic on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 1
Title :Terrorism has no Religion I
Signed :Reverse
Year :2019
Measurements in Cms :20.3 x 30
Material Used :Pigment & Ink on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 54A, PUSHPA 54B & PUSHPA 54C
Title :WOUNDED LANDSCAPE I, II & III
Year :2020
Measurements in Cms :45.6 x 61(Each
Material Used :Mixed Media on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 56
Title :The Red II
Signed :Reverse
Year :2020
Measurements in Cms :23 x 30 ½
Material Used :Acrylic on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 86 /86A
Title :Red Tree
Year :2020
Measurements in Cms :140 x 55(Each
Material Used :Mixed Media on Paper
Ref :PUSHPA 21
Title :Untitled Landscape II
Signed :Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :21 x 29.7
Material Used :Mixed media
Ref :PUSHPA 26
Title :Untitled
Signed :Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :23.5 x 45
Material Used :Digital Print
Ref :PUSHPA 29
Title :Untitled
Signed :Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :23.5 x 45
Material Used :Digital Print
Ref :PUSHPA 34
Title :Untitled
Signed :Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :23.5 x 45
Material Used :Digital Print
Ref :PUSHPA 36
Title :Wounded Landscape Series
Signed :Front/ upper left
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :46 x 61 each
Material Used :Mixed media on paper
Ref :PUSHPA 44
Title :The Red II
Signed :Front/Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :23 x 31
Material Used :Mixed media(Archival materials)
Ref :PUSHPA 49
Title :“ The Red “ Series
Signed :Front Lower Right/Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :46 x 61
Material Used :Mixed media ( archival materials)
Ref :PUSHPA 51
Title :“ The Red “ Series
Signed :Front Lower Right/Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :46 x 61
Material Used :Mixed media ( archival materials)
Ref :PUSHPA 52
Title :“ The Red “ Series
Signed :Front Lower Right/Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :46 x 61
Material Used :Mixed media ( archival materials)
Ref :PUSHPA 53
Title :“ The Red “ Series
Signed :Front Lower Left/Reverse
Year :2021
Measurements in Cms :46 x 61
Material Used :Mixed media ( archival materials)
Ref :PUSHPA 80
Title :The Red Carpet
Year :2022
Measurements in Cms :117 x 237
Material Used :Acrylic on paper
Ref :PUSHPA 82
Title :Mycelium & Charred Landscape 10
Signed :Reverse
Year :2022
Measurements in Cms :110 x 82
Material Used :Steel rod, Hardware cloth, Paper, Wood dust, Golden fluid matte medium, Rope, Thread& Acrylic
Ref :PUSHPA 83
Title :Mycelium & Charred Landscape 08
Signed :Reverse
Year :2022
Measurements in Cms :130 X 50
Material Used :Steel rod, Hardware cloth, Paper, Wood dust, Golden fluid matte medium, Rope, Thread& Acrylic
Ref :PUSHPA 5
Title :Inequality
Signed :Lower Right / Reverse
Measurements in Cms :30 x 30
Material Used :Pigment & Ink on Paper
Education
Year | Qualification | Institute |
2022 | MFA in Studio Art | University of Illinois at Chicago |
2014 | BFA in Art & Design | University of Jaffna |
