Thamotharampillai Sanathanan

Sri Lanka

The central point in all my works is still the home. Home was burning because of war. I could not sleep nor share my trauma with anyone.

Bio

Born in Jaffna, Sanathanan’s art practice traces loss, memory, home and the self. His work involves various disciplines; research, documentation, and oral history that explore complex issues related to Sri Lanka’s civil war. With Raking Leaves, a curatorial publishing organization, he produced a book documenting people’s lived experiences and feelings about displacement alongside artistic interpretations of these stories. His works such as Incomplete Thombu and Cabinet of Resistance are today some of the most recognised artistic representations of Jaffna and its recent history.

Featured here are some of his earlier works, described by the artist as ‘they were never meant to be sold.’