The Exhibition of Art by Art Rhizome

There’s something quietly magical about walking into an art space for the very first time, when the walls are still learning how to hold stories, and the air feels charged with possibility. Colombo is experiencing one such moment with the inaugural exhibition of Art Rhizome, a place that introduces itself gently, yet confidently, as “the space where freedom forms.” Held from 17th December to 16th January at 31/4, Gregory’s Road, Colombo 07, this exhibition is open from 10 am to 6 pm, inviting curious and wandering minds to step in and take a pause (excluding Christmas and Poya Day).

This art exhibition draws you in through texture, silence, colour, and conversation, where each artwork feels deeply intentional and wonderfully unhurried. You begin to notice how the gallery allows the pieces to breathe, how it gives space not just to art but to thought, too. This is not art meant to impress you from a distance, but something monumental that asks you to come closer.

What makes this exhibition particularly compelling is its remarkable range. Featuring over fifty Sri Lankan artists, the collection spans generations and artistic sensibilities. You’ll encounter works by late masters M. Sarlis, Lionel Wendt, and W.A. Ariyasena, whose legacies continue to echo through Sri Lanka’s visual language, alongside well-known contemporary artists and emerging artists who are actively defining the world of art.

Rather than presenting art as something frozen in time, this exhibition lets different eras sit side by side. Reflecting on the process of bringing the exhibition together, curator Sanjeewa Kumara notes that, “As an inaugural exhibition bringing together fifty-one artists, the process emphasised dialogue over chronology, placing late masters, established figures, and emerging voices in relation to one another to form an open, living network rather than a fixed narrative.” It’s refreshing to see an exhibition that doesn’t offer you a neat story of Sri Lankan art but lets you notice recurring ideas and the subtle ways artists respond to those who came before them. 

You may find yourself moving back and forth between artworks, lingering longer than expected.  The artwork trusts the art lover in you to experience it on your own terms. 

Art Rhizome, Where Art Grows Sideways

At the heart of it all is Art Rhizome itself. More than being just a gallery, it’s a living, growing collective. Rooted in the Rhizome Artist’s Collective, Art Rhizome is built on collaboration rather than hierarchy. True to its name, the space embraces the idea of the rhizome...growth that happens laterally and without a single centre. Art Rhizome positions itself as a platform for dialogue, experimentation and shared learning. Speaking about the thinking behind the space, curator Sanjeewa Kumara shares, “When Vajira and I curated this exhibition, we conceived the presentation of the thesis artworks as a dense and immersive encounter with Sri Lankan art spanning more than a century. Rather than advancing a singular or linear historical narrative, the exhibition invites viewers to navigate multiple trajectories of influence, resistance, and reinvention, allowing meaning to emerge through layered relationships across time.”

Through exhibitions, artist residencies, and public programmes, Art Rhizome actively supports across diverse backgrounds and disciplines, creating room for both established practices and emerging explorations. This inaugural exhibition reflects that ethos beautifully.

Art Rhizome brings together late masters alongside contemporary and emerging artists in a way that the past and present can connect, not to compete, but to question and inspire one another. This exhibition resists a single, fixed narrative. Instead, it creates multiple pathways, allowing artistic practice to grow much like a rhizome itself...branching, intersecting, and constantly evolving into the unknown, reaching towards new ideas and artistic dimensions.

Sanjeewa Kumara & Vajira Gunawardena

Curators, Art Rhizome Inaugural Exhibition

Late Masters

M. Sarlis / Lionel Wendt / W. A. Ariyasena

Invited Artists

Anoma Wijewardena / Jagath Weerasinghe / Chrandragupta / Thenuwara / Sarath Chandrajeewa / Muhanned Cader / Anoli Perera / Kushan Manjusri / Seevali Illangasinghe / Rubert Soysa / S. H. Sarath / Dominic Sansoni / Karunasiri Wijesinghe / Geethanjana Kudaligamage / Sarath Gunasiri / Anil Athapathu / Padrig Morin / S. P. Pushpakanthan / Koralegedara Pushpakumara / Pala Pothupitiya / Pradeep Chandrasiri / Yanti Rajap-Lebbe’ / Nuwan Nalaka / Chaminda Gamage / Sujith Rathnayake / T. P. G. Amarajeewa / Channa Ekanayake / Sanjeewa Liyanage / Chammika Jayawardena / Prageeth Manohansa / Pramith Geekiyanage / Ajith Susantha / Prabath Samarasooriya / Prasadani Kumari / Prasad Weerasinghe / A. C. Nuwan / Asela Liyanage / Aloka Bandara / Dinesha Dasanthi / Kuvethanan / Ratnasingam Krishna / Harshana Kumarasiri / Teran Indika

Founder Members of Art Rhizome

Sanjeewa Kumara / Vajira Gunawardena / Prageeth Rathnayake / Sujeewa Kumari / Chathuranga Gamage / Saman Wijesooriya