As part Chathuri Nissansala’s solo exhibition title ” Ritualizing Mutant encounters” , a series of bodily extensions were launched as performative repertoires at the Barefoot Gallery Colombo.

In curative ritual traditions of the Matara region (geographical area), artisans believe the entities exist as transmigratory bodies/ fluid forms within ecosystems.
My work observes formations of sacrilegious beings from mundane objects. A pile of rock formations near a water body or a cut barrel becomes a vessel of ritualistic healing or perhaps a site under a tree. Transgress its debris substances into carriers of its hidden narratives of unspoken beings. They are mutant and ostracized, blasphemy entails seeking salvage, surging for belonging and building a nonexistent land of belonging, in between tensions of hide and seek interplay.

Drawing back from the their visits to Lunuganga gardens designed by the renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa. This series explores the formation of the vegetation, mutations, spectatorship, voyeur, timeless formations and the elements of queering capsulated with in the terrains of the garden.

Retaining the traditional talismanic patterns , ritualistic attire formations and the construction of ancestral attires. These designs extends into organic , mutant like formations deploying as canopies wrapping around a being. This series emerges from her involvement with the project on exploring the queer identity of the architect with Thilini Perera( ( Design and communications manager at the Geoffrey ) on the project ‘ Order of nature’ .

These wearables transcends into performative interplay of cosmic mutant encounters during an un holistic time shown as a series of performative photography captured by collaboration with artist Devyan Thilakasiri and team Avuli.

Jacques Derrida states at the dawn of mechanical age, existence of queer presence can be witness as a haunting presence; neither living, or dead, present or absent not belonging to any form of ontological discourse. An absence which permits a viewer to encounter a strangely presence that occupy a sense of nostalgia, longing that represents an event or encounter in the idyllic construct of an utopia.

Is this what is called as a fantasy, reimagination or mirages of silhouettes that encountered in this dreamscape. Ensemble of elements layers in the form of a mapping creating a tale of presence which is absent, fragments of its degeneration, loss or death . Nostalgic longing for an encounter, a presence which has been lost yearning to return back to that tangible essence of “ love that remains , Saudade”.

Next series of performative movements are curated in the form of a mutant transformation and encounter. Here the participating performers narrates their personal journey of queering through bodily movements and engagements. Ending with a chanting of the words in a poem written by Chathuri called ” This land is not mine, mother” .

Cast of enactors :

Prathi

Lawanaga jayasinghe

Dinushi Halloluwa

Vishwa Pathum

Chathuri Nissansala

Navoda Bennet

Kumudu

Music composed by : Wanni viper records.

Watch the performance live https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9Pg7ShBIkS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==