Born in 1994, Lives in Colombo, Sri LankaSandatharaka, an artist born and raised in the village of Ampitigoda in the Maturata region within Sri Lanka’s central mountains, profoundly integrates his lived experiences into his creative endeavors. His oeuvre, predominantly executed in oil paints and watercolors, is marked by an experimental approach that seeks to explore the intrinsic properties of these mediums. His artistic practice is distinguished by a dual focus: the pursuit of aesthetic refinement in the final finish of his works and the articulation of a potent visual language that reflects the strength of the artist's personal expression.
He has also been working on a studio-based practice for a very long time, and his research is integrated with a broad education in traditional academic art. In his continuous experimentation, Sandatharaka maintains a rigorous adherence to the inherent qualities of his chosen mediums, thereby achieving a balance between innovation and tradition. Additionally, his reputation as an arts educator is well-established, with his pedagogical approach being profoundly shaped by the extensive practical experience he has amassed over his long-standing career in the field.
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CURRENT PROFESSIONAL POSITION
Artist
Teacher (Drawing, Painting)
EDUCATION
> 2019 BVA (Second Upper Hon) Painting; University of the Visual & Performing Arts (UVPA), Colombo 07, Sri Lanka
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
> 2022 - Selected painter for "Focus on Under 30 Artists forum", Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2020/ 2021 - Live Human figure studying sessions in the studio (Drawing /Painting) Sponsored by the Gallery FourLife Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka, (From June 2020 to March 2021)
> 2020 - Under 30 Artist Achievement of Sri Lankan representation, Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2019 - Under 30 Artist Achievement of Sri Lankan representation, Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2017 - State Art and Sculpture Festival, Final Round in Landscape Painting
> 2016 - Fellowship of the
International Watercolor Society (IWS), Awarded by IWS Sri Lanka
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATIONS
> 2019 - Participation in India-Sri Lanka Ramayan Painting Camp, State Lalith Kala Academy, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India
> 2018 - Participation in India-Sri Lanka Ramayan Painting Camp, State Lalith Kala Academy, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India
> 2017 - Participation in SAARC Artist Camp in Nepal, Gokarna Forest Resort, Kathmandu, Nepal
> 2014 - Participation in SAARC Artist Camp in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh
SOLO EXHIBITION
> 2024 - "Elsewhere", Saskia Fernando Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2023 - "Zones of (In)Visibility", Paradise Road Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2019 - "Rural Zone", Paradise Road Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2016 - "Through the mist", JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2012 - "Warna", Poramadulla Central Collage, Rikillagaskada, Sri Lanka
GROUP EXHIBITION
> 2024 - "SIYAM FEB 2024", Contemporary Artist's Exhibition at Siyam Niwasa, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2024 - Group Exhibition - Galle Literary Festival, Fort Oriental Villa, Galle, Sri Lanka
> 2023 - "ARTISTS OF SRI LANKA: The Beginning", Curado Art Space, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2023 - Kala Pola, Annual Open Art Affair, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2023 - International Art and Design Exhibition, The Faculty of Fine Arts, Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand
> 2022 - The Great Beauty of Harmony - International Exhibition of Watercolor, Yunnan Art University and the Yunnan Provincial Government of China
> 2022 - Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2021 - JIWI Autumn International Watercolor Exhibition, Japan (JIWI, Japan International Watercolor Institute)
> 2021 - Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2020 - Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2020 - International Art and Design Exhibition, The Faculty of Fine Arts, Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand
> 2020 - Kala Pola, Annual Open Art Affair, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2019 - State Art and Sculpture Festival, JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2019 - India - Sri Lanka Ramayan Painting camp, State Lalith Kala Academy, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India
> 2019 - Nawa Kala Karuwo, George Keyt Foundation, JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2019 - Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2018 - 1st International Watercolor Biennale, Kualalumpur, Malaysia
> 2018 - India - Sri Lanka Ramayan Painting camp, State Lalith Kala Academy, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India
> 2018 - Beyond the Water Margin, Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2018 - Nawa Kala Karuwo, George Keyt Foundation, JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2018 - Fabriyano in Watercolor, International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriyano, Italy
> 2018 - Kala Pola, Annual Open Art Affair, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2017 - SAARC Artist Camp, Gokarna Forest Resort, Kathmandu, Nepal
> 2017 - State Art and Sculpture Festival, JDA Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2017 - Kala Pola, Annual Open Art Affair, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2016 - Kala Pola, Annual Open Art Affair, Colombo, Sri Lanka
> 2016 - Re-imagining Ceylon, Contempory Artist in Sri Lanka (Imago Mundi, Collection Of artworks)
> 2015 - Living with the Art, Sri Lanka Art Educationist's Association, Kandy, Sri Lanka
> 2014 - SAARC Artist Camp, Bangladesh Shilpakala Acedemy, Dhaka, Bangladesh
WORKSHOP AND LECTURING
> Portrait Painting Demonstration at "Siam Niwasa", Colombo, Sri Lanka. (23-02-2024)
> One day Watercolor Workshop in association with Premium Stationers -Pvt Ltd. Colombo, Sri Lanka (13-05-2023)
> One day Portrait Workshop in Oil (Online) (23-04-2023)
> Painting Workshop at Gallery FourLife Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2022)
> Director of the Six-month Watercolor Workshop at Gallery fourLife Art sessions, Gallery FourLife Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka. (2020/21)
> One day painting Workshop at Demaro Art Studio, Galle, Sri Lanka (01-03-2020)
> Live Watercolor Demonstration at State Lalith Kala Academy, in Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India, 2018
CONFERENCE
> Research Symposium, organized by the Department of History and Art Theory, Faculty of Visual Art, University of the Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo, Sri Lanka (2018)
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS
> Rubens and Myth: Visual Narratives in the Representation of the Animal Concept of "Satyr" (2024)
> A study on the Watercolor medium usage in the Contemporary Art (based on few selected artists). Unpublished Dissertation (2019)
> Abstracts : Rural life against modernization (based on a practical project) (Submitted for the first Annual Student Research Symposium of the Department of History and Art Theory, Faculty of Visual Art, University of the Visual and Performing Arts) (2019).
ART WORKS IN COLLECTION
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Norway, America, England, Australia, Vietnam