H A Karunaratne, 2018, Untitled, Mixed Media on Canvas

Widely regarded as the father of abstract art in Sri Lanka, H.A. Karunaratne has spent over six decades developing a visual language that blends materials ranging from fabric to metal, creating compositions that evoke rhythm, energy, and dissonance. His unique approach draws influences from American Abstract Expressionism as well as Buddhist and Zen philosophies. Water of Life, a solo exhibition by renowned Sri Lankan artist H.A. Karunaratne is landmark exhibition highlights his profound impact on Sri Lankan contemporary art and his exploration of abstract expressionism.

A graduate of the Government College of Fine Arts in Colombo (1958), Karunaratne studied under renowned artists Stanley Abeysinghe and David Paynter. He later received a Japanese Government Scholarship to study at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (1961) and a Fulbright Award to attend the Pratt Institute in New York (1966). Karunaratne’s academic influence continued as a lecturer at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya, Colombo.

Writing on the artist’s life and practice, art writer and curator Jyoti Dhar notes ‘Karunaratne’s is an intuitive, instinctual and embodied process; one where the egoic mind is stilled, and the autonomy of the activity takes over.’ Jyoti Dhar also considers H.A. Karunaratne’s immense influence on the development of the abstract movement in Sri Lanka  ‘Considering H.A. Karunaratne’s work against a heady mix of internationalism and war-instigated existentialism may help us to see the artist’s practice in a different light –and his reasons to pursue abstraction when he returned to Sri Lanka and began teaching in the late 1970s and 1980s.’

H A Karunaratne, 2018, Untitled, Mixed Media on Board

Karunaratne’s distinguished career has seen him recognized both locally and internationally, receiving prestigious accolades such as the ‘Kala Suri’ award from the Government of Sri Lanka and the ‘Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays’ from the Japanese government. A celebrated artist and educator, Karunaratne has played a pivotal role in shaping the development of abstract expressionism in Sri Lankan art institutions. Throughout his career, Karunaratne’s works have been exhibited globally, from India Art Fair, New Delhi (2025) Pivot Glide Echo, KALĀ, Colombo (2024), to the SAARC Artist’s Exhibition, Lahore (2004), the 5th International Biennial Exhibition of Prints, Tokyo (1989), and the Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil (1969). His works are also part of several prestigious collections, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, the Museum of Modern Art in Kamakura and Hayama, the Himeji City Museum of Art, and the Fukuoka Collection in Japan.

PRSFG showcases H.A. Karunaratne’s legacy and vision in Water of Life an exhibition that celebrates his enduring contribution to abstract art. Water of Life by HA Karunaratne opened on 28 Feburary 2025 and will run until 31 March 2025 at PRSFG, 41 Horton Place, Colombo 07.