‘Silent Stories’: A solo exhibition by Shanaka Kulathunga

An exhibition titled Silent Stories, featuring works by Sri Lankan artist Shanaka Kulathunga, will be held at the CCA Building, Bikaner House, from May 21 to 28.

Marking the artist’s first solo exhibition in India, the show brings together paintings in acrylic and oil that draw from memory, everyday life, and the cultural landscapes of Sri Lanka. Kulathunga’s practice is rooted in observation and introspection, where figuration and landscape intersect to create compositions that are at once intimate and reflective.
His works portray teachers, labourers, elders, children, and dancers, capturing gestures and emotions with immediacy. Drawing from both lived experience and imagination, the paintings explore themes of identity, affection, and social relationships through layered narratives and symbolic motifs. Rural life and the relationship between people and their surroundings emerge as recurring concerns, lending the works a quiet, contemplative depth.

Curated by Archana Khare-Ghose, the exhibition also opens a dialogue between closely connected cultural contexts of Sri Lanka and India. The curatorial framework foregrounds Kulathunga’s ability to transform everyday moments into reflective visual experiences, where personal histories intersect with broader human conditions.

Presented by Gallery Silver Scapes, the exhibition reflects the gallery’s ongoing engagement with diverse artistic practices and cross-cultural exchanges. Established in 2009, the gallery has consistently showcased both established and emerging voices in modern and contemporary art.

Rife with memory and observation, Silent Stories offers a body of work that navigates the interplay between personal narratives and collective experience, creating a space where the familiar and the imagined quietly converge.

When: May 21–28, 2026

Where: CCA Building, Bikaner House, New Delhi