Instagram story viewer> @studio.bala> Posts

Kavan Balasuriya

@studio.bala

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

I recently relocated to Chichester, West Sussex, England, and this drawing marks the start of a new chapter: the launch of my art and writing studio.

Measuring 150 x 200 cm, the work returns to a scale I haven’t explored for some time. It is made with an ink brush pen, a recent favourite. I once drew like this with charcoal, but now prefer the lighter, more fluid touch of ink.

The composition grows from clusters of marks that accumulate into shifting forms and spatial relationships. Dense passages meet rectilinear structures, creating movement across the surface and guiding the eye through the work. As the work unfolds, it shifts between landscape and geometry, and between growth and construction. taken in Chichester, West Sussex by @studio.bala

3

1

2 months ago

I recently attended a drawing workshop in London led by architect Mark West (@survivinglogic ) at @drawing.matter .

This drawing emerged from Pareidolia, our natural tendency to see familiar shapes in random or unclear visual information.

We worked on paper surfaces prepared with cloudy graphite washes, slowly teasing images, spaces, and figures into being through careful observation and various mark-making tools.

What I enjoyed about the method was the balance between intention and discovery. Instead of starting with a predetermined image, this process asks you to pay attention to what is already present and let the drawing reveal itself over time.

I also enjoyed returning to graphite and smooth cartridge paper, materials I hadn’t worked with in years.

Graphite on paper, 21 x 29.7 cm by @studio.bala

3

0

2 months ago

Sri Lanka has developed a fascinating listening culture around contemporary art and electronic music.

Writing from Colombo in February for @somethingcurated , I reflected on @colomboscope ‘s ninth edition and the increasingly fluid relationship between contemporary art and electronic music on the island.

I’ve long been drawn to Sri Lanka’s underground music scenes, so it’s been especially rewarding to see these worlds increasingly intersect, culminating in this year’s rhythm-centred festival.

Read via the link in my bio to explore these intersections further.

I’ve also included a couple of additional references at the end of this post that extend some of the conversations explored in the article.

Photographs courtesy @colomboscope taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka by @studio.bala

3

4

2 months ago

Musing on the busy start to the year in my hometown, Colombo. Many inspiring events, precious insights, and heartfelt conversations with regional voices and practitioners who attended Colomboscope. It’s also always great to see homegrown talent consistently delivering at a world-class standard.

This installation image of my work is from the group exhibition Paradox Plaza, curated by artist @ebony_maurice.wilmott . Its placement reflects a recurring theme in January, of making space for the senses. To step back, slow down, and take stock of this special time, making room for more to follow.

Interstice [series], 2022
Aluminium foil on foamboard
0.5 x 84 x 119 cm taken in Lionel Wendt Art Centre by @studio.bala

3

2

5 months ago

Installation images of my work at @radiclegallery for @colomboscope in January. The festival was a fulfilling opportunity to soak up an excellent offering of contemporary art in Sri Lanka.

Firmament of Sound
Aluminium foil on foamboard, 16 panels
0.5 x 72 x 72 cm (each panel 0.5 x 18 x 18 cm).

‘Firmament of Sound’ examines how the principles of abstraction in Indian classical music provide a framework for drawing and notation. I used the sine wave, a waveform symbol representing sound and light, as a motif for this framework.

The sine wave is a curved form that allowed me to modulate light to create an impression of depth. This modulation and depth were based on rhythmic patterns that produced varying intensities of light and shadow. These intensities of illumination were in turn conditioned by the reflective aluminium foil.

The rhythmic patterns in each panel of the work were based on time signatures in Winter-Spring ragas. This choice honoured the seasonal and conditional practice of Indian ragas, in which each piece must be played according to the time of its setting, whether day or night, winter, spring, or monsoon. Since I created my work in the cold depths of Winter and displayed it in early Spring, symbolising a season of renewal, I used rhythmic structures from both seasons.

Operating at the intersection of light and sound, I translate between the two elements. The foil material enables me to modulate between sensory possibilities, opening up new avenues of visual experience. At this intersection, rhythm unfolds as a spatial and perceptual phenomenon, radiating energy outward.

Documented by legend @tavishgunasena . taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka by @studio.bala

3

3

5 months ago

Update: the charity sale is now complete, having raised $3,743 in five days for cyclone relief.

-

Hi friends,

I’m running a sale of seven original artworks to raise funds for cyclone relief in Sri Lanka. There’s ongoing rain– it hasn’t stopped for long enough for the land to dry out in some areas– and devastation. Many roads are still inaccessible and unsafe, and people are cut off from their homes.

I’m halving the price of these pictures and will donate all proceeds to a number of charities that operate across the country.

If you’ve been interested in owning a work of mine and also donating to a good cause, now’s a great chance– DM me for more details.

However, I’m restricting this limited time sale to people in Sri Lanka only. I’m only in town until next week and this sale runs until 3rd February. Since I’m here, you can get it directly from me. Thank you!

-

Slide 1: Untitled (2022), aluminium foil on board, 20 x 20 cm, unframed

Slide 2: Untitled (2022), aluminium foil on board, 20 x 20 cm, unframed

Slide 3: Process [detail] (2022), ink and aluminium foil on board, 15 x 21 cm, framed

Slide 4: Hyperobject [detail] (2021), ink on board, 14 x 29 cm, framed

Slide 5: Transit (2021), aluminium foil on board, 29 x 29 cm, framed

Slide 6: In Motion (2021), aluminium foil on board, 13 x 29 cm, framed

Slide 7: In Motion (2021), aluminium foil on board, 13 x 29 cm, framed taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka by @studio.bala

100

1

6 months ago

Sharing some work-in-progress images from my upcoming @colomboscope entry, ‘The Firmament of Sound’.

My work will be on display @radiclegallery . It explores how principles of abstraction in Indian classical music can provide a framework for drawing and notation.

The series comprises aluminium foil engravings composed using time signatures associated with Winter-Spring ragas. Here, rhythm and time are translated into light and shadow, resulting in oscillations, vibrations, and frequencies.

The festival team has put in an immense amount of labour to make this edition happen. If you’re in town, it’s well worth spending time with the programme. taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka by @studio.bala

3

11

6 months ago

With a practice dedicated to drawing and engraving, Sri Lankan artist Kavan Balasuriya uses mark-making, geometry, and architectural motifs to explore the interweaving of abstraction, built environments, and vibration. Recently adopting aluminium foil as his chosen medium for its fragility, sensitivity, and propensity to hold luminosity, Balasuriya engages with the dichotomies of light and shadow, movement and stillness, surface and depth, as well as abstraction and realism, through the elemental surface of a foil plate. Abstraction as language also acquires auditory dimension via Balasuriya’s technique, charting musical grammar as visual notations.

Images:
Formation, 2022, Aluminium foil on board.

Dualism, 2022, Aluminium foil and ink on board.

Waveform, 2022, Aluminium foil and ink on board.

Images courtesy of the artist.

Commissioned by Colomboscope 2026. by @studio.bala

105

3

7 months ago

A personal work from 2019 in London.

This untitled foil etching on foamboard was the first of its kind and size, measuring 90 x 120 cm (3 x 4 ft).

I describe my work as either etchings or engravings, depending on the tool and type of mark made on the material surface. While they fall under the rubric of a drawing practice, I like to include definitions and languages of other disciplines, like printmaking.

Traditional printmaking involves etching and engraving on metal plates to create prints on paper. I use etching and engraving needles to make my drawings, but instead of producing prints, I position them as standalone objects with distinct characteristics. These characteristics are dependent on the qualities of the material surface, which is the combined effect of aluminium foil mounted on foamboard: a pliable and soft surface ideal for drawing into.

You can note how the composition follows a gradual movement from top left to bottom right. I would say it follows a gradient, but, in that case, the meaning would be twofold: one, the movement from top to bottom and left to right; the other, the tonal gradient that is a natural result of the material’s interaction with nearby window light.

While this looks like it could be a traditional graphite pencil drawing on paper, it’s purely metallic. Each line is embossed into the surface, reflecting or absorbing light and shadow from any given direction. Ultimately, isolating, examining, and exploring the overlaps between materials, tools, and disciplines produces the most rewarding results. by @studio.bala

3

0

9 months ago

Happy to share images from my recent two-month printmaking residency (also known as the Visiting Artist Programme) at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

I spent time learning new techniques and relearning old ones. The experience opened as many questions and possibilities as well answered the ones I went in with. Looking forward to continuing the work in another print studio.

Images range from studio space with students’ work on display to my aquatint and woodblock experiments and processes.

Note: any artist, local and international, can develop a project in any of the university departments. You’re welcome to submit a proposal to the relevant body (I can put you in touch). They’ll be happy to accommodate your request and you can practise alongside students, give lectures, and run workshops.

#residency #visitingartistprogramme #printmaking #universityofvisualandperformingarts #colombo taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka by @studio.bala

3

17

a year ago

Island, 2024

Ink on paper, 19 x 19 cm.

#drawing #landscape by @studio.bala

3

0

a year ago

‘Transit’ currently on display at Booth D02. @indiaartfair @prsfgsrilanka

#aluminiumfoil #engraving taken in India Art Fair by @studio.bala

3

0

a year ago