Jagath Weerasinghe | The Black Sun

Jagath Weerasinghe (b.1954, Moratuwa; lives and works in Athurugiriya) is a pivotal figure in contemporary Sri Lankan art and has been a significant driving force in its development since the early 1990s. Weerasinghe’s work is marked by a frenzied, passionate expressiveness highlighted through intense gestural brushwork. Weerasinghe’s compositions display a pervasive sense of tragedy that shows an urgent concern with the contemporary political order both locally and globally. Weerasinghe examines and critiques Sri Lankan anxieties, responding to collective attitudes—as he observes them, taking themes such as nationhood, religion, identity, and confrontation for commentary. Weerasinghe’s practice does not merely reflect disillusionment but extends into an observation of the systemic issues that perpetuate extremism and violence, offering a critical view of the forces shaping contemporary global conflicts.

Jagath Weerasinghe completed his MFA at the American University in Washington DC (1991) and his BFA (Hons) at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies at the University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya (1981). He is the co-founder of the Theertha Collective and the moving force behind collaborations such as the Colombo Art Biennale.

Weerasinghe has been featured at the Baik Art Gallery, Los Angeles (2019); Khoj, Delhi (2018); Art Dubai, Dubai (2018), Aicon Gallery, New York (2017); Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa (2016); Breese Little, London (2014); Colombo Art Biennale, Colombo (2012), Asia House, London (2011); Museum fur Volkerkunde Wien, Vienna (2009); Singapore Art Biennale, Singapore (2006); Asia Pacific Triennial, Brisbane (1999); Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka (1994).

Weerasinghe’s work belongs to collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles and the Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka.