Chandraguptha Thenuwara is a leading Sri Lankan artist whose work focuses on issues surrounding the impact of war in Sri Lanka between government forces and Tamil separatists. In response to this overwhelming crisis Thenuwara has devised his own stylistic formulation, which he has called 'Barrelism'. This intriguing appellation is derived from the multitude of barrels that dominate the landscape of Sri Lanka, acting as roadblocks and barriers around military installations and public facilities.
As Thenuwara explains, the government's barrel installations are places where each citizen must present their identification papers before they can pass through. Consequently the image of the barrel is entwined with a questioning of both personal identity and national condition. As Thenuwara explains, "when we approach barrel barricades, we examine our identity. We ask ourselves: Who are we?"
In responding to the proliferation of barrels in Sri Lanka Thenuwara has created works in which the barrel is endlessly repeated, forming a grid-like pattern. For western audiences, a comparison with Warhol's repetitive silkscreen imagery would seem logical, especially in such works as 'Thousand Barrels', 2002, acrylic and ink on paper. However, Thenuwara's work is also informed by the Buddhist art of Sri Lanka, in particular the grid-like formation of the thousand Buddhas that appear in Sri Lanka's classical temples, and are reputed to protect the island state. In common with this localised iconography Chandraguptha's work may be seen as a didactic means of communicating about the condition of life within a framework of earthly suffering. It is perhaps this immediacy that may account for the popularity of Thenuwara's art in his homeland, where local audiences can readily appreciate the concerns that activate his art.
In works such as 'Thousand Barrels, 1999, etching, seated Buddhas and stylised barrels are intermingled in a tightly wrought grid. At times the Buddha is in the barrel or simply replaced by it. As the artist ironically suggests, in Sri Lanka's era of war the country is no longer protected by Buddhas but by barrels instead.
Emerging from an era of intense and bloody conflict Thenuwara's art is underscored by a persistent and biting irony, aimed at probing the irrationality of war. This sardonic humour is apparent in his substitution of the serenely cross-legged Buddha with the prosaic metal barrel, yet also appears in his figurative images. In works such as 'Victor?', 1999, etching, a headless, one-legged soldier hobbles towards the viewer. In his right hand he clasps a crutch while his free hand is transformed into a rifle. As the title suggests, this is the victory of the mortally wounded, the dehumanised and the vanquished, in short no victory at all.
As a graduate of the Moscow State Art School it is perhaps unsurprising that Thenuwara's work draws on aspects of European agitprop techniques, using his barrels to raise consciousness about the plight of Sri Lanka and to make a stand for peace. As an eyewitness to the suffering of his countrymen, Thenuwara's is an authoritative voice; borne of experiences which have not diminished his dedication to positive transformation. Hearing Chandraguptha speak about his art, one is struck by his deeply felt commitment to his homeland. In reference to the pogrom of 1983 against Sri Lankan Tamils, Thenuwara envisaged the barrels as "vessels that held the blood of hundreds of thousands of people". The sentiment is reflected in such images as 'Camouflage', 1999, etching, in which the ubiquitous military pattern is composed of severed limbs and dismembered torsos. Significantly, these constituent forms emerge only after close inspection, otherwise appearing as generic camouflage motifs. For Thenuwara revealing the hidden truth of war is an essential tenant of his practice.
"We need to explain the truth behind the existence of something that stands for the truth- but is not true. Then we could discover new truths-hidden truths.
We have grown up in a Buddhist cultural tradition. The first Buddhist percept is that one should not take another's life. We are now forced to confront truths about ourselves that are difficult to face."
If Thenuwara's barrels were to appear in the pantheon of Buddhist deities it would be in the guise of a daemonic and antithetical Buddha, a counterfeit guardian that seeks to oppress rather than liberate. In describing the barrels as "guardians of protection" Thenuwara highlights the essential subterfuge of militarisation. Arising from a state of prolonged conflict, this evocation of a national condition is tragically represented in 'Dance of Victory', 2002, acrylic on paper. In common with the figure in 'Victor?', 1999, these celebratory dancers are again the faceless and limbless soldiers of an all consuming battle. Here the barrel's lurid camouflage invades the barren landscape; falling on the earth as a despoiled militarised green and across the sky in a blaze of bilious chromium yellow.
In the face of so much horror, Thenuwara hopes that Sri Lanka will one day become a "Paradise without terror". With this in mind he continues to present his art and to encourage others through the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts, of which he is both founder and Director. Derived from the ancient Sanskrit 'vibhav', the name is an optimistic invocation of 'potential', which, in common with his actions as an artist is Thenuwara's principle for the emergence of a new and peaceful Sri Lanka.
Notes
Thenuwara, C., quoted in Medis, D., (1999), A conversation with Sri Lankan artist Chandraguptha Thenuwara, http://wsws.org/articles/1999/nov1999/barr-n25_prn.shtml
Thenuwara, C., (2005), Barrelism: A response to the militarisation of urban space
