After about 15 years of painting little else other than Lord ganesh, I have now, started several other pieces. The paintings currently shown here are all acrylic on wood, 96x96cm.

don't speak 95x95cm

don't speak 95x95cm

On January 8th, 2009, the Editor of the Sunday Leader was shot by unidentified gunmen  while on his way to work.  He died a few hours later.  The fact that he was shot in broad daylight in an area covered by numerous military and police checkpoints raised many questions.

His murder occurred just two days after the privately owned MVC/MTV television studios were ransacked and destroyed by a highly organised armed group, right in the heart of Colombo’s watertight security.

14 journalists and media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka over the past three years. More than 40 journalists have left the country.  Many others have been arbitrarily apprehended, threatened and intimidated by un-named elements.

This painting invites the viewer to tie or untie the strings that surround the open mouth. All the other lips are sealed with aluminum wire, symbolic of the self censorship that surround the atrocities we live with today

As a Sri Lankan, with an Irish grandmother, a Sinhalese mother, a Tamil father, a Belgian daughter, a French wife and an English brother in law, you could safely say that my background is pretty mixed up.

 Despite these mixed influences from all over the world, there are some sights and sounds that remind me of my Asian identity and who I am.

 This realisation is symbolised by the humble mosquito coil, an integral part of any self respecting, Asian household. I have seen them in active duty all over Asia, in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Macau, Indonesia, India and of course Sri Lanka.

 This painting is a part of a series of everyday objects that are unique to my Asian culture.