Sandeepa Vithanage’s striking mixed media image of the Red Mosque in Colombo ‘springs from the screen’ with its power
Sandeepa Vithanage
Architect, Art’O’San Studio, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Two of Vithanage’s submission of three images of local urban subjects challenged the judges with a seemingly sugar-coated view of colonial architecture that seemed to be at odds with contemporary dialogue on empire, but this striking image of the Sri Lankan capital’s Red Mosque was of a power that had it springing from the screen.
Kucharek felt that at the stated reproduction size, the work would be ‘totally immersive, almost hypnotic’ while Begum felt that the ‘flatness of the image is offset by the saturation of the colour in a compelling way.’ Hamza Shaikh pointed out that: ‘I’m from that background ethnically and resonate with its sensory stimulus.’ But while the popsicle stripes soak the viewer’s gaze, he was more drawn to the human detail of the image’s foreground: ‘Seen together, the image is almost overwhelming and the fact that he’s captured all that is incredible.’