prageeth manohansa | gods of metal
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prageeth manohansa | gods of metal
9 November to 29 December 2012
Galerie Steph and Saskia Fernando Gallery
Singapore
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foreword
In gods of metal, Prageeth Manohansa presents the age-old contrast of industrialized culture versus
utopian nature in new form. An incisive sculptor, Prageeth transforms banal scrap metal into
stunning images of life and beauty. His sculptural pieces breathe with movement and emotion,
and he captures this same dynamic spirit on paper with his charcoal drawings.
It is indeed a privilege to provide Prageeth his first international solo exhibition here. The long
and exciting journey from Sri Lanka to Singapore was made achievable through the steady and
generous support of Saskia Fernando Gallery, with whom it was a pleasure to partner on this
exhibition.
Stephanie Tham
Singapore, October 2012
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foreword
It has been a pleasure working with Stephanie Tham of Galerie Steph on this collaboration and
we are particularly pleased that Prageeth Manohansa’s first international show will be held in
Singapore, a country that has strong links to Sri Lanka and a vibrant art industry.
In the three and a half years that we have worked with Manohansa he has continued on a steady
path, becoming our island’s most cutting edge contemporary sculptor. Despite the increasing
number of local artists who are inspired by his work, Manohansa remains unparalleled as a
pioneering artist with a unique portfolio of works made of welded metal and paper, both of which
are featured in this – his first international solo show.
Saskia Fernando
Sri Lanka, October 2012
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introduction by saskia fernando
Prageeth Manohansa belongs to a new wave of artists that have emerged from post-war Sri Lanka.
This movement follows two specific periods in Sri Lankan art history, namely that of the 43 Group
and the 90s movement. The 43 Group introduced modern contemporary art to the island with heavy
influences from western art, while the 90s movement changed the face of Sri Lankan art by drawing
inspiration from the country's state of civil war and the social and cultural tension that ensued.
Following Manohansa’s studies in India, he returned to Sri Lanka to study under many of the
artists from the 90s movement. But his education in art had in fact begun at home many years
earlier under the guidance of his father, and it was during his university years that he began to
put theory into practice.
Manohansa began exhibiting his work shortly after graduating from university. His works are now
part of important private collections and were recently featured in the Indonesian design company
Nuage Branding's 2012 calendar. It is the sustainable nature and conceptual form of Manohansa’s
work that leaves him unrivaled. This young artist has the ability to capture movement and social
concepts in heavy metal with a raw organic skill.
In an interview with Tara John, Manohansa speaks of his past and present.
When did your interest in art begin?
When I was a child I learnt a lot from my father who was an art teacher in my school in Colombo.
My father is a well-rounded man. He supported eight people, who included my mother, four children
and two grandparents, which forced him to take up many jobs. So, in addition to his teaching he
made costumes for our school concerts that were made in our home at night. Occasionally he took
up landscaping work. We helped him with the costumes he created. He also had old cars, which
we helped him assemble.
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interview conducted by tara john
After school we would go to his landscaping site because home was too far. I learnt a lot during
those days. He also sold old broken cars, or needed to fix his taxi so we visited the junkyard
regularly to find spare pieces. That is why I know every mechanical part I use, thanks to this
exposure I had as a child. It was when I was 16 that I realized I wanted to become an artist.
Where did you go for university?
I went to Benares, India, for university to study for my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Benares Institute.
There was a strike for four years at University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka which meant I was unable
to begin my studies there. I studied for two years in Benares, and then went back to Sri Lanka to
finish my degree once the strike ended. It was in India that I began studying sculpture.
In Benares the primary medium for learning sculpture was clay but many other mediums were
used. I learnt the theory of art from my father but in India I began to focus on my artistic practice.
Did you have any mentors as a student? And are there any artists who have inspired you?
In India the famous sculptor, Balbir Singh Katt, was one of my teachers as well as the dean of the
faculty of fine arts at the university. He was a huge inspiration to me.
Picasso is an influence; his bull’s head made from a bicycle seat. My father was the first person
to introduce me to Picasso’s work.
Tell us a bit more about your university days
In 2003 when I was studying for my BFA in Sri Lanka, we were not allowed to stay on campus.
I flouted the rules and stayed in a room there. No one told us off about it because back then
I was quite radical in my behavior and style of art. Every week I would secretly create an
installation in the canteen. Initially people were puzzled by these creations and wondered who
did them, but eventually it became a main event every week. People were excited to see what
was going to be made next, I had essentially created an exhibition hall.
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When did you first start assembling junk?
In ninth grade my father showed me a picture of Picasso’s bull's head; this is when I began to
experiment with assembled art.
I began assembling scrap metal around 2000/2001 and since then it has always been my medium.
I never really attended university in Sri Lanka in my final two years. I would show up at lectures
and sign the attendance form and then go to work. I was earning money from landscaping. This
landscaping work inspired my submissions and my work and surroundings were so different from
others in my class. My inspiration came from nature, not from the classroom; whilst the other students
were doing their work in clay, I would find spare parts at work, which I assembled and submitted
as sculptures. After that I did all my coursework based around assembled parts, and in my final
project I worked with two cars placed vertically side-by-side. One was a Volkswagen and the other
was a Cambridge. I saw them as a man and woman due to their shapes.
In 2000 I had my first solo exhibition showcasing everything I have ever made – paintings, sketches,
cement work and modeling work. In that same exhibition, I had a few assembled sculptures.
Everyone raved about the works and it was then that I knew this was the path for me.
Why do you want to give life to junk?
It is a very powerful language and to me it is stronger than other media. Every part speaks.
Every part I use has a duty and a function, similar to that of a character. There are different histories
from different parts that come together to form a different figure. This is particularly evident in my
‘Characters’ series.
Do you have a philosophy behind this?
I work with social themes particularly those involving the working class. I use industrial parts, such
as shovels placed upright, one next to the other, to represent a family portrait. Even the two cars
are different working parts, but together become a figure; vehicles are necessities in today's world.
Through my work I have changed the order of working tools and shaped them into a different order.
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How do you make your sculptures?
There are two methods I use in my creative process. One is where I use a preliminary sketch and
then I choose the right parts I need. The other is when I stumble upon a part and begin visualizing
the work with this piece. I then assemble the collected scrap parts and weld it together. I usually
hire a welder so that I can have a better view of how it’s being welded.
I like to see what fits; I work using shapes and parts. I don’t warp them or change them at all.
There is a beauty in these different shapes. It becomes my duty to represent the social concepts of
different cultures through these assembled sculptures.
What is the primary inspiration behind your sculpture?
Form is my inspiration, how I can manipulate metal to take the form I want it to. The object has
a form and I transform it into the piece I am working on.
Describe your different series of sculpture to us
Like a wristwatch, every piece of a machine has a purpose and the connection of each piece
results in the final object. As such, my ‘Characters’ sculptures are made of many small pieces,
each of them has a duty or character in the final composition.
For the ‘Gods’ series I was inspired by my time spent in India. I visited many spiritual places during
these two years. Ganesh is the God I am most drawn to, though it was not the religious aspect that
inspired me. The ‘Vesmuna’ (devil mask) series began because my father had two masks at home
which enamored me. They had expressions that were incredibly prominent. These expressions
would change while I stared at them. This is what I try to capture in my Vesmunas.
In my figurative pieces I aim to capture the beauty of nature.
The ‘Spade’ series was inspired by my landscaping work during my university years. I learnt of the
problems and struggles of my fellow construction workers and we shared stories with one another.
The spades represent these people to me. Every old spade carries a story.
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cow
scrap metal 2012
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125 cm x 85 cm x 195 cm
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bird
scrap metal 2012
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90 cm x 55 cm x 127 cm
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couple of birds
chrome 2012
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117 cm x 167 cm x 95 cm and 125 cm x 136 cm x 65 cm
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duck
scrap metal 2012
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100 cm x 45 cm x 115 cm
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birds
scrap metal 2012
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95 cm x 55 cm x 105 cm
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snake
scrap metal 2012
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120 cm x 70 cm x 145 cm
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abstract form
scrap metal 2012
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140 cm x 80 cm x 75 cm and 95 cm diameter
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fish
scrap metal 2012
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11 fish in total biggest 12 cm x 36 cm x 6 cm and 750 g
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mask
scrap metal 2012 130 cm x 90 cm x 225 cm
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siamese cat
chrome 2012
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105 cm x 65 cm x 100 cm
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buffalo
scrap metal 2012
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100 cm x 55 cm x 190 cm
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cityscape
scrap metal 2012
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112 cm x 70 cm x 54 cm
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prageeth manohansa
education
solo exhibitions
group exhibitions
b. 1976
2000-2005 Bachelor of Sculpture, Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
1997-2000 Painting and Sculpture course, Benares Hindu University, India
2010 Assembled Art, in association with MIVET National Centre for the Arts and National Art Gallery, Maldives
2009 Exhibition of Sculpture, Amangalla Hotel, Galle, Sri Lanka
2008 Galle Art Trail, Galle Film Festival, Galle, Sri Lanka
2003 Gamana, Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2012 Kaputa, Saskia Fernando Gallery, Amangalla Hotel, Galle, Sri Lanka
2011 Contemporary Art from Sri Lanka 2011, Asia House, London, UK
2011 Script, Amangalla Hotel, Galle, Sri Lanka
2009 Colombo Art Biennale, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2009 Kala Pola, organized by the George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2009 Art Auction with Channa Ekanayake, Kooii Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2008 Museum of Ethnology, Kusthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
2007 Kala Pola, organized by the George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2006 Kala Pola, organized by the George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2006 Paradise Road Galleries, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2005 Kala Pola, organized by the George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2005 Tsunami, Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, University Gallery, University of Kelaniya, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2004 Kala Pola, organized by the George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2004 With the Other, Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2003 Kala Pola, organized by the George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
1999 Jhanaavi, Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, Town Hall, Daltongani, Benares, India
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commissions
Kerry and Ruth Hill Private Collection
Colombo Courtyard Boutique Hotel Collection
Arthur C Clark Private Collection
Shirin Jacob Private Collection
Mirissa Hills Sculpture Gallery
Paradise Road Villa Bentota Collection
Paradise Road The Gallery Café Collection
Ken and Swyrie Balendra Private Collection
Gautam Nevatia Private Collection
Leena and Vinod Hirdramani Private Collection
Charlotte Breese Private Collection
Nations Lanka Private Collection
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Copyright © 2012 Galerie Steph, Singapore and Saskia Fernando Gallery, Sri Lanka
All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this catalogue
or portions thereof in any form.
Edition published by Galerie Steph, Singapore
With very special thanks to Dr. Shirin Jacob, Kamiliah Bahdar and Trent Neuer
prageeth manohansa | gods of metal exhibition presented
in Singapore by Galerie Steph and Saskia Fernando Gallery
from 9 November through 29 December 2012
at Galerie Steph, Artspace @ Helutrans, 39 Keppel Road,
Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 01-05, Singapore 089065.
This catalogue may not be reproduced in whole or in part,
or stored in a retrieval system and/or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic media or mechanical, including illustrations, photocopy, film or
video recording, internet posting or any other information storage system
without the permission of Prageeth Manohansa and the publisher.
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Galerie Steph
steph@ galeriesteph.com
www.galeriesteph.com
SASK IA FERNANDO
G A L L E RY
info@ saskiafernandogallery.com
www.saskiafernandogallery.com
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