Chamila Gamage Sri Lankan, b. 1978

At Barefoot Gallery, we acknowledge the source of our profound cultural knowledge - the artists, our heroes in both celebratory and turbulent times.

Artistic journeys are filled with challenges - both creative and emotional. In a world where we face thousands of images per day and wonder whether or not these images are AI-generated, how can individual artists speak their truth amidst the visual noise? How can we work together to bring their messages to settle within our collective consciousness?

NOSTOS features 9 exceptional Sri Lankan artists from multiple generations, whose careers have taken them in many directions, at times around the globe. Their artwork speaks to myriad subjects all grounded in Sri Lankan identity - history, politics, the natural world, village life, the mental gymnastics of daily life, all manifested through colour and a mix of media, in order to reflect our contemporary times.

Dominic Sansoni and Barefoot Gallery welcomes Bandu Manamperi, Chaminda Gamage, Chamila Gamage, Channa Ekanayake, K Pushpakumara, Saman Liyanage, Sanath Herath, S H Sarath and Tissa de Alwis to share tales of their journeys, so we might carry their courage into the New Year.

'Memory Wall' symbolises a conceptual representation of collective memories tied to significant events. In this case, the 2004 Tsunami, the 30-year Civil War, and the 2019 Economic Crisis in Sri...