An engaging exhibition takes center stage this month at PRSFG’s Horton Location
PRSFG is pleased to announce Water of Life, a solo exhibition by renowned Sri Lankan artist H.A. Karunaratne. The exhibition celebrates his enduring contribution to abstract art. Water of Life has been on since 28 February and will run until 31st March 20125 at PRSFG, 41 Horton Place, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
Image Courtesy- PRSFG
H.A. Karunaratne’s Water of Life Solo Exhibition
This exhibition, as a landmark of its own, highlights Karunaratne’s profound impact on Sri Lankan contemporary art and his exploration of abstract expressionism as a long term practicing artist.
The artist is widely regarded as the father of abstract art in Sri Lanka, and Karunaratne has spent over six decades developing a visual language that blends materials ranging from fabric to metal, creating compositions that evoke rhythm, energy, and dissonance. The Fluid dynamics and nature in Karunaratne’s work have a unique method and style. His approach has drawn influences from American Abstract Expressionism as well as Buddhist and Zen philosophies.
Image Courtesy- PRSFG
Image Courtesy- PRSFG
Karunaratne’s Vast Artist Background
Image Courtesy- PRSFG
A graduate of the Government College of Fine Arts in Colombo (1958), Karunaratne studied under renowned artists Stanley Abeysinghe and David Paynter. He later received a Japanese Government Scholarship to study at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (1961) and a Fulbright Award to attend the Pratt Institute in New York (1966). Karunaratne’s academic influence continued as a lecturer at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya, Colombo. In Sri Lankan contemporary art, Karunaratne paintings, are almost synonymous to abstractionism.
Writing on the artist’s life and practice, art writer and curator Jyoti Dhar notes ‘Karunaratne’s is an intuitive, instinctual and embodied process; one where the egoic mind is stilled, and the autonomy of the activity takes over.’
Jyoti Dhar also considers H.A. Karunaratne’s immense influence on the development of the abstract movement in Sri Lanka. ‘Considering H.A. Karunaratne’s work against a heady mix of internationalism and war-instigated existentialism may help us to see the artist’s practice in a different light –and his reasons to pursue abstraction when he returned to Sri Lanka and began teaching in the late 1970s and 1980s.
’Karunaratne’s distinguished career has seen him recognized both locally and internationally, receiving prestigious accolades such as the ‘Kala Suri’ award from the Government of Sri Lanka and the ‘Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays’ from the Japanese government. A celebrated artist and educator, Karunaratne has played a pivotal role in shaping the development of abstract expressionism in Sri Lankan art institutions. Throughout his career, Karunaratne’s works have been exhibited globally, from India Art Fair, New Delhi (2025) Pivot Glide Echo, KALĀ, Colombo (2024), to the SAARC Artist’s Exhibition, Lahore (2004) and more. His works are also part of several prestigious collections, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, the Museum of Modern Art in Kamakura and Hayama, the Himeji City Museum of Art, and the Fukuoka Collection in Japan.
About PRSFG
PRSFG presents a dynamic program that includes leading and emerging practitioners. Both spaces serve as hubs for engaging exhibitions, innovative collaborations, and cultural programming that celebrate Sri Lankan and South Asian artistry.
PRSFG’s vision extends beyond its with continued participation in international art fairs across Asia, nurturing the talents of emerging practitioners within the region and collaborations with prestigious galleries and institutions worldwide. The gallery also sustains a deep commitment to emerging talent through initiatives like the Udayshanth Fernando Foundation’s A4A Production Fund, which supports the development of Sri Lanka’s next generation of artists. With a shared mission to elevate Sri Lankan art locally and globally, PRSFG seamlessly blends Paradise Road’s storied history with Saskia Fernando Gallery’s regional focus. Together, they foster a vibrant platform that honours the past while shaping the future of contemporary art in Sri Lanka.
Feature Image Courtesy- PRSFG
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