Athurugiriya is veteran contemporary artist Pala Pothupitiya’s workshop cum resting space, aesthetically designed by the late artist extraordinaire Laki Senanayake. Despite his simple lifestyle, Pothupitiya has placed Sri Lanka on the world map with his various artworks which questions caste-based differences while confronting issues such as colonialism, nationalism, religious extremism and militarization. His works are also an attempt to generate a critique of Euro-centrism in the postcolonial setting. Born in 1972, Pothupitiya hails from Deniyaya and has earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Visual and Performing Arts.
Pothupitiya draws inspiration for his artworks from his father, Somaweera Pothupitiya. His early memories are of his father stitching decorative pieces of art, designing costumes, decorating streets for the Matara tradition of low country dancing. At his hometown in Deniyaya, he used to design clothes alongside his father. “I then shifted to Matara to do my A/Ls and later got selected to Heywood College of Fine Arts,” said Pothupitiya in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror Life. “Here I got to know various people. The Heywood had no walls around it and everybody involved in arts to drama would come to the college to have a cup of tea. I have seen them until I left the college and regular conversations with them helped me improve my knowledge. One of my mentors was Jagath Weerasinghe who inspired me to portray an idea, life experience or feeling as a form of art. He was a pioneer in bringing about the ‘90s trend’ along with the ‘Theertha Artistes Collective’. It is around this time that I got addicted to the arts.”
