At first glance, Anupa Perera’s still-life compositions appear as delicate renderings of the ordinary; an aged porcelain cup, a wilting flower, a weathered mortar, and pestle. Each element seems to pay quiet tribute to the past, an ode to rustic lives long lived. But to admire his work solely for its stillness is to miss the undercurrents of tension woven into every piece.
Anupa’s journey as an artist began at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo, where he earned his BFA in 2009. Over the years, his work has graced esteemed institutions such as the Lionel Wendt Art Centre, JDA Perera Gallery, and Colombo Art Gallery. Yet beyond the exhibitions and accolades, he remains, above all, an educator, a schoolteacher whose deep sensitivity to children and their fragile realities infuses his work with rare depth. His ability to decode the fabric of the mundane and his acute awareness of political unrest elevate his art into something beyond the visual. His paintings whisper, they question, they demand reflection.
Presented by PRSFG, Dreaming of Candies and Guns marks Anupa Perera’s debut as a represented artist at No. 138 Galle Road, Colombo 03, though it is his second solo exhibition overall. This body of work toys with perception, coaxing the viewer to look beyond what is immediately presented.
“This is my second solo exhibition, and the feedback has been wonderful. I’ve been fortunate to discover a new fanbase, especially through my collaboration with SFG, which has been an exciting step in my journey,” Anupa Perera.
While rooted in the classical still-life tradition, Perera’s work subverts the genre with a striking contemporary urgency. His compositions often juxtapose seemingly unrelated objects, forging narratives that are at once haunting and tender. Unlike the still-life painters of the past who sought to celebrate abundance, Perera injects irony into his work. His meticulous attention to light and composition, reminiscent of the Renaissance masters, lends weight even to the simplest subjects. In Dreaming of Candies and Guns, Anupa presents questions. What does it mean to belong? To remember? To grow up too soon? His work, steeped in nostalgia yet charged with contemporary anxieties, urges the viewer to look closer, to unravel the narratives hidden within. Through a delicate interplay of whimsy and melancholy, Perera invites us into a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
“This is my second solo exhibition, and the feedback has been wonderful. I’ve been fortunate to discover a new fanbase, especially through my collaboration with SFG, which has been an exciting step in my journey,”
-Anupa Perera-
Childhood, 2025 – Oil on Canvas, 33 x 43.5 cm
Configuration with Green Pot, 2025 - Oil on Canvas, 61 x 46 cm
Configuration with Blue Pot, 2025 - Oil on Canvas, 60 x 50.5 cm
Configuration with Green Pot, 2025 - Oil on Canvas, 61 x 46 cm
Evening Light, 2025 - Oil on Canvas, 110 x 90 cm
Self Portrait, 2024 – Oil on Canvas, 81.5 x 89 cm
Freedom, 2024 – Oil on Canvas, 80 x 80 cm
Delicate and bright, paper boats rise not on water, but through air, free, unbound, defying tradition. The basin that once held them is lifted from the ground, detached from its purpose, floating as if weightless. It is a quiet rebellion, an affirmation that one need not fit within imposed lines to exist, to belong, to be whole.
Holder, 2025 – Oil on Canvas, 51 x 70 cm
A lion stands proud, its form borrowed from the Sri Lankan flag. A pencil holder, perhaps—unless it cradles flowers instead. But these flowers, once vibrant, now droop, their petals scattered, heavy with neglect. The background, deep and dark, is streaked with blood-red fabric, a silent testament to the sacrifices borne by many. Dice, resting askew, whisper of history—numbers aligning with years of turmoil: 1983, 1988, 1989. In another corner, dice shimmer in the hues of flags, bearing the many names foreign tongues have given this land.
Self Portrait II, 2017 - Oil on Canvas, 28 x 30 cm
Harvest, 2018 - Oil on
Fruits on the Table, 2024 - Oil on Canvas, 51 x 49.5 cm
Crying Unicorn, 2025 – Oil on Canvas, 53 x 68.5 cm
Toy Gun, 2025 - Oil on Canvas, 30.5 x 41 cm
Tragedy of the Tilth, 2018 – Oil on Canvas, 45 x 63 cm
A lament for the land. The soil, once rich, now cracks with thirst, its moisture traded for fleeting gain. The echoes of ancient abundance remain only in memory, celebrated in images but lost in reality.
