Pala Pothupitiye

Pala Pothupitiye (b. 1972, Deniyaya; lives and works in Athurugiriya) is a Sri Lankan artist whose work critically engages with themes of colonialism, nationalism, religious extremism, and militarism. Pothupitiya also explores issues such as caste, the divide between art and craft, and the tension between tradition and modernity, offering a nuanced critique of Eurocentrism. Raised in a family of traditional southern Sri Lankan craft artists and ritualists, his practice draws heavily on and reinterprets the material and philosophical content of traditional art forms.

Pothupitiye holds a BFA from the University of Visual and Performance Arts in Colombo, Sri Lanka (2002). Pothupitiye attended a training programme in making Pakistan’s traditional jewellery at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan (2006). He trained in traditional Pakistani sewing techniques and metalwork methods with craftspeople in Lahore.

He is a founding member of the Theertha International Artists Collective and the Mullegama Art Center, where he runs an art school and workshops, fostering the development of younger artists and local schoolchildren