Media Barbeque 2004
The exhibition was held at Atuwe Art Gallery in Nugegoda
Media Barbeque was an attempt to analyse and decode the existing flux in media through contemporary art. With this exhibition, Sudath Abeysekara clearly demonstrated his skill in expressing himself through the combination of realism and surrealism. Media Barbeque not only commented strongly on contemporary society, but also brought the technique of installation art to Sri Lanka, where it was relatively unknown.
This installation art exhibition drew some mixed reactions. “Is it art?”, some people asked. The event (held as a group event, within a smaller space) also spawned some good, constructive criticism. That’s when Sudath decided to go for an elaborate display to express the idea on a larger canvas, so to say. Through contemporary installations and paintings, it made people aware of modern art and more importantly did a reality check on the media scene. It showed how the media had influenced the collective consciousness of every individual, and of the society at large. Sudath used usual day-to-day items in the most unusual manner to recreate reality as seen, heard and felt by his very own senses. Original, introspective, provocative and revealing were some of the reactions he was completely prepared for.
