MUHANNED CADER

Muhanned Cader (b.1966, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Lives and works in Galle)
paints and draws majestic landscapes vitalised by jewel-like pigments, soft
layers of charcoal, and their irregular shapes. Fragmenting the natural world through collages, at times organised into accordion books, he creates animated visual vignettes. As an artist associated with the ‘90s Trend, a group of artists
who responded critically to Sri Lanka’s Civil War from 1983-2009, Cader’s landscapes are grounded in scepticism of colonial and post-colonial governmental policy. Alluring environments of lush trees and glistening shorelines belie a land negotiating heavy extractive activities and overdevelopment. 

Cader received his BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago in 1994. He was awarded the Kalasuri 2005 (Sri Lanka President’s title of honour for excellence in visual arts) and the Bunka Award 2003. 

His work has been exhibited widely in solo and group shows internationally, including: Colomboscope, Colombo (2019); Lahore Biennale 01, Lahore (2018); Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka (2018); Kochi-Muziris Biennial, Kochi (2014); Nasher Museum of Art, Durham (2014); Burger Collection, Hong Kong (2013); Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca (2012). 

Cader’s work is included in the collections of Burger Collection, Hong Kong; Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai; Kiran Nadar Museum, New Delhi; Samdani Art Foundation, Dhaka.