Subadrage Nuwan Nalaka (b.1981, Sri Lanka) is a contemporary Sri Lankan visual artist and a lecturer whose practice explores cultural memory, spirituality, ecology and the poetic imagination. He received his Master of Fine Arts from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, India (2013), where his engagement with the artistic traditions of South Asia further shaped his distinctive visual language.
Working across watercolor, tempera, Indian ink, wash painting and mixed media, Nalaka is recognized for combining technical precision with lyrical expression. Drawing inspiration from the artistic traditions of Sri Lanka and India, his work reinterprets Buddhist and Hindu philosophy through symbolic landscapes, botanical imagery and visual metaphors. His paintings unite meticulous craftsmanship with expressive brushwork, creating contemplative spaces where heritage, mythology and nature converge. His major bodies of work include Eternal Landscape, Inner View, Sutra, Sansara, Prakriti and the Ceylon Map Series, each exploring identity, collective memory, environmental consciousness and the cultural legacy of Sri Lanka through a contemporary artistic perspective.
Nalaka has exhibited widely in Sri Lanka, India and the United States, including participation in art fairs and exhibitions in New Delhi, Mumbai and Mexico. His growing international recognition reflects the universal resonance of his artistic vision, and his works are represented in private collections. Alongside his studio practice, he continues to contribute to art education as a lecturer, fostering dialogue between traditional knowledge and contemporary visual culture. His paintings invite viewers into reflective worlds where cultural history, spiritual inquiry and the natural environment intersect, establishing his practice as a distinctive voice in contemporary South Asian art.