Chandraguptha’s annual Black July memorial exhibition ‘Cast the First Stone’ now on view at Saskia Fernando Gallery

Saturday, 15 August 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Chandraguptha Thenuwara’s annual memorial exhibition ‘Cast the First Stone’ commemorating the events of Black July is on view at Saskia Fernando Gallery, 41 Horton Place Colombo 07 until 19 August 2026. The exhibition programing will include a series of artist-led walkthroughs.

Each year Thenuwara exhibits a new body of work that documents and comments on the sociopolitical climate of present-day Sri Lanka. Encapsulated in the current presentations is Thenuwara’s ongoing inquiry into themes that are deeply rooted in his political activism. With an emphasis on gender-based and sexual violence, this year, the exhibition interrogates the hypocrisy of moral righteousness and the inadequacies of legislative frameworks that continue to perpetuate discrimination and systemic injustice. It continues the artist’s sustained engagement with Sri Lanka’s sociopolitical landscape, while underscoring the urgent need for accountability and meaningful political action.

In his artist statement Thenuwara notes, “Criminalising people based on sexual orientation is a violation of human rights, and despite progressive court rulings, outdated colonial-era laws are still used to target women, sex workers and transgender individuals. Sex workers face systemic police violence, including arbitrary arrests, sexual bribery and extortion. Social stigma creates barriers, and many fear further discrimination when seeking help. While lawmakers have worked hard for the good of humanity, these forward-thinking proposals are yet to be approved. As a result, the struggle for change continues to face setbacks.”

Parallel to the solo exhibition at Saskia Fernando Gallery, Chandraguptha Thenuwara will present his annual curated exhibition, ‘Visual Persuasions 3.0’. Spread across two venues, the J.D.A. Perera Gallery and the Harold Peiris Gallery, the exhibition brings together twenty-four artists whose practices address social, political, environmental, and cultural issues. Working across a diverse range of media, including digital prints, ceramics, painting, sculpture, and immersive installations the exhibition becomes a space to create social awareness and engage in critical dialogue. In addition to this, Thenuwara will also present the inaugural edition of ‘Here and There’, a new series which brings together creative voices of artists living outside Sri Lanka. Informed by urgent regional and global concerns, the exhibition aims to highlight the July 1983 pogrom and its lasting impact on today’s social, political, and cultural landscape.

Thenuwara is renowned for an interdisciplinary practice that explores the politics of memory and violence. Thenuwara’s diverse oeuvre includes painting, drawings, installations, sculpture, public monuments, lectures, and curatorial and collaborative projects. He is the founder of the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts (VAFA), an artist-run school nurturing the burgeoning Sri Lankan contemporary art scene. His work has been featured in notable exhibitions, including most recently at Grosvenor Gallery, London (2025); KALĀ, Colombo (2025); and Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Colombo (2024). His works belong in institutional collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, The Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan, Fukuoka and The Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.