Collapsism
Art
Modern works that challenge the boundaries of perception.
The Philosophy of Collapsism
Vinith Chathuranga is a contemporary Post-Marxist critic and visual artist who created the Collapsism Art movement—a philosophy born from Sri Lanka’s decades of social and political turbulence. Witnessing how cycles of crisis shape daily life, Vinith channels those realities into a visual language that questions surface appearances and exposes the unseen. His work merges natural realism, surrealistic and magical formalism, cubist tendencies, and abstract shapes, breaking traditional academic rules to form bold new compositions.
Through Collapsism, Vinith challenges viewers to confront collapse not as destruction but as transformation. As both critic and practitioner, he believes that art must spark dialogue, provoke thought, and reveal deeper truths hidden beneath conventional structures. By fusing contemporary social, political, and cultural themes with fearless experimentation, he has positioned Collapsism as both a turning point in Sri Lankan visual art and a call to re-imagine the relationship between artist, society, and the ever-changing world.
Vinith Chathuranga
Founder of Collapsism Art
Visual Contexts and Collapsism
- Collapsism’s visual language is defined by a synthesis of key contexts that give the movement its distinctive identity. Concepts and materials are carefully selected to convey innovative ideas and thematic depth, while structural forms provide a unique framework for each work. The integration of format and content ensures that subject matter is communicated with clarity, and thoughtful composition guides the viewer’s perception.
- Explorations of time and space introduce dynamic, multidimensional layers to the artwork. Elegance and fantasy combine refined aesthetics with imaginative, fantastical expression, making Collapsism both visually compelling and intellectually engaging. Together, these visual contexts establish the movement as a significant trend in contemporary Sri Lankan art.
Purpose and Artistic Method
- Collapsism engages with questions of spirituality, fate, and identity within political and social systems. It interrogates the nature of truth and falsehood in art, exploring their dialectical relationships and how they influence the perception of other artistic streams.
- As one of Sri Lanka’s major contemporary art movements, Collapsism focuses on socially, politically, and culturally significant themes. The movement interprets these themes through a Sri Lankan lens, drawing on Marxist philosophical frameworks to analyze and depict the realities and contradictions of contemporary life.
Form, Style, and Techniques
- While diverging completely from academic traditions, Collapsism incorporates new conceptual streams, along with abstract and semi-abstract formats and content that had not previously appeared in Sri Lanka. Some works display naturalistic, magical, hyperrealistic, cubic, or surrealist elements, extending beyond the conceptual and thematic boundaries of 1990s Sri Lankan art.
- These tendencies reflect a unique synthesis: they draw on earlier local visual art practices while engaging with globally recognized artistic innovations. This combination created a distinctive Sri Lankan interpretation of contemporary art, establishing Collapsism as a notable movement in the visual arts.
Artist’s Function and Insight
- After 2010, the Sri Lankan visual art scene moved in a new direction. Art from the 1980s, 1990s, and up to 2010 was heavily influenced by the civil war. With the conclusion of the conflict, the visual art landscape gradually transitioned into a post-war period.
- Consequently, earlier artistic forms could no longer be sustained in the same way. Sri Lankan visual artists were compelled to develop independence and redefine their creative approaches. This new wave of creativity emerged organically from the artists themselves, marking a self-directed evolution in Sri Lankan art.
Collapsism’s Reach and Effect
- Emerging after the trends of the 1990s, Collapsism was formally established in Sri Lanka in 2019, becoming the first uniquely generated visual art movement in the country since that decade.
- The political, social, and cultural climate following the 1990s significantly influenced its emergence. Evolving artistic frameworks, combined with postmodern philosophical and conceptual ideas, shaped the movement’s critical and subject-oriented approaches. Collapsism thus reflects both a continuation of, and a response to, the artistic tendencies that developed in Sri Lanka after the 1990s.
- In addition to Collapsism, another visual art tendency emerged during this period: Situanism (Adherence), introduced by Jayantha Pushpakumara. Certain works by Heywood Realism artists also belong to these contemporary tendencies.
About Founder
Vinith Chathuranga is the creator of the Collapsism Art movement, a philosophy born from Sri Lanka’s decades of social and political turbulence. Witnessing how cycles of crisis shape daily life, Vinith channels those realities into a visual language that questions surface appearances and exposes the unseen. His work merges natural realism, surrealistic and magical formalism, cubist tendencies, and abstract shapes, breaking traditional academic rules to form bold new compositions.
Through Collapsism, Vinith challenges viewers to confront collapse not as destruction but as transformation. He believes that art must spark dialogue, provoke thought, and reveal deeper truths hidden beneath conventional structures. By fusing contemporary social, political, and cultural themes with fearless experimentation, he has positioned Collapsism as both a turning point in Sri Lankan visual art and a call to re-imagine the relationship between artist, society, and the ever-changing world.
Portfolio
A curated collection reflecting the essence of Collapsism.
The Dual of Buddha
Oil on Canvas 120 x 104 cm
Philosophical expression – In the capitalst era the art and the religion had a some short of traditional bond. but it was saved by the capitalism it self. but with that, by the capitalism the art and the religion were led to the dictatorship of the capital. At one point form delegation to wisdom and from wisdom to dedication the art which rolled, were made as an art to earn profits by the capitalism. in this situations, similarly the religious section was declined culturaly and taken to treacherousness towards thuggirng.
God of Creation
Oil on Canvas 206 x119 cm
The heaven is also in puzzle. When suitable solution were not received to the human society for the very close crisis which the human society faces. the power stability in gods leaves. Then even in gods they are will be collison. it is proved through the fundamental theory of the philosophical dialytical. therefore according to what Lenin Said, the dialectiec in real meaning is the study of collision in objects. this theory in Marxism is one of the deepest concepts. Therefore according to that oll the stone statues about gods and essence of the empty statues become to zero. and become inactive.
Collapsing Lion Flag
Oil on Canvas 137 x 93 cm
A reply from Vinth to the followers who wave the nudity of reality. The study of reality starts in the field of world visual art before the starting of the industrial revolution in the 19th century. after French revolution took place in 18th century with the beginning of modern era of Art and also at the end of 18th century and as a result and impacts of the industrial revolution in the 19th century the artist introduce the new structures in the visual art conquering the re nudity of reality.
“If the thing appears is reality, Marx mentions that science is not needed to this world” – Karl Marx
“If the thing appears is reality, Marx mentions that science is not needed to this world” – Karl Marx
Unlimited Hopes
Oil on Canvas 173×186cm
Artist is a social creature. An heir of the universe. But he is different from others. The reason is his mind, active nature and the difference and gap between norms of the world. He lives between the true world and untrue world. Therefore the artist adds a new life not only to plants, trees, blossoming flowers, flying butterflies. The mushrooms blossom on the ground but also his inanimate brush and palette. He surpasses the norms and lives on not norms. He was possesses a very light mind emotional ideas and a wide knowledge escapes from the world of norms and lives in a world of no norms and tells the true world the unlimited elegant lesson.
Unbearable Compactness
Oil on Canvas 212x55cm
Through the limits and boundaries of this social system. Large mouth, thin neck and thin body have been inherited to him. The artist can’t live in these limits and boundaries, because he is an independent person. But all the spaces exist because of limits and boundaries. The artist’s space has become a crisis to him because of his limit that protects the content. A valuable meaning is received in to all the spaces, after collecting a suitable content.
Succeeded
Acrylic on Canvas 514x203cm
The artist is a person who can go very fast in the unlimits of spaces where others can’t travel and spreads his power. He provideds a meaning to the very dark spaces where colours, lines and shapes don’t consist He escapes from the spaces of norms and grasps the space of no norms. He removes the difference between the abstract forms and compound forms before the spectators therefore. From the art creation one thing is clear to us that mean the artist’s brush has the skill to grasp the format. Content and the space in one moment.
The reality of collaps
Oill on Canvas 150x203cm
The artist sees the Impermanence not based on impermanence but based on abstract qualities of all the animate and inanimate objects possessing to him. and building a modern uniformity through it. But the artist who is unable to do this, through the reality, he has to face very tragedic fate, and challenges. The artist who is unable to understand the reality. Collapses through the reality and gets pressed, crushed Locked and dies It is very clear through this creation.
The reality of journey
Oil on Canvas 150×198cm
Through this Art creation, it is depicted that the declining human society, the stagnant cultural stream, the backward decaying nature of the political system and the man carrying it. How long should this be continued through this, the backward nature that the Sri Lankan society faces and the reality of the existence of backword attitudes in the human thoughts.
Non stoppable
Oill on Canvas 178×138cm
The artist has to go very far in a backward economic background with a society of disappointed hopes. He has many goals as high as a huge rock for the progress of the human society. He has to find new ways and a new road to open. He has to do this facing, exercising very miserable and life experiences and facing a dark future space. That’s why, he has become very tired. Then will he wait future? Will he go forward?
The turning unvoidable
Oil on Canvas 89×107cm
It is clear from this, that when the content dies, the format also dies. Therefore the content is the heart of format, and format is the body of content. And the artist’s last moment is painful. And also the environment he lives in and the conditions around the abnormality generated in the future world through this. It is demonstrated and also, this condition surpasses the existing reality.
Nudity among reality
Oil on Canvas 478×210cm
All the social phenomena have declined and it has undergone a tragedy and the artist also has to face that specially the human figure and all other visual forms have become a different condition. Lines, shapes and forms and colours have been composed in to a new system and a collapsed phenomena are depicted. The artist’s mourning has been contained in it. The existence of all the structural forms depend on the left hand of the artist. Finally the artist has to be nude among reality.
The Monument of Impermance
Oil on Canvas 183×107cm
The truth of impermance and in the eternal uniformity of reality. That the artist has experienced is depicted through that not only that, the animate and inanimate elegance that the nature brought about so far has faced to this dangerous fate. Through this it is depicted the artist and the minimum that he belongs to him in this society has become abnormal and destructive.
Mother Artist – II
Oill on Canvas 173x200cm
Visualised before you is either not the portrait of elegant Monaliza or the statues of Devid generated as in the era of renaissance. By present the exemplary elegant mind picture has undergone a crisis and the abnormality has been generating. Therefore the birds in abnormality. have come because of some reason. Not only that, his palette is sinking gradually in to the empty dark space in front of him. A mushroom has appeared through the cracked and splitted land. It depicts about a dangerous effect that may occur in the future world. He who possesses one eye is holding his brush with the left hand Therefore what is this new visual tendency before us?
Mother Artist
Oil on Canvas 206x117cm
“The era of meeting a man – before the man has ended” All the elegant things in this world will not be an art. An art has been built up surpassing the elegance exists in the abnormality. Therefore the artist is the person who sees the elegance first generated through the abnormality. Therefore if any abnormality is generated at some places, for that, existing social, economic and political matters affect. Even to the artist it is the same. Therefore the mother artist also has become to this position. What is true prevails? He has possessed an open mouth, one eye and an abnormal body. Carrying the palette on his shoulder holding the brush with left hand, standing on a cracked land of society and coming to the foot of canvas who is this person standing before the spectators?
Clash between abstract and reality
Acrylic on Canvas 307x50cm
The artist has to face the abstract that has gone beyond the existing world. This is the true reality that the artist has to face in the space infront of the power and time of that abstract. And also the suitable connection that is not seen visually in the format and content, joined by one abstract line, and all the abstract lines, shapes and through colours away of challenging the reality and that abstract builds up the format and content on a suitable compositional surface. It is depicted from this. The true abstract is the life of the reality. The abstract is built up through reality and challenge the reality. When the reality collides with reality, the true abstract wins.
My Freedom
Oill on Canvas 206×117cm
When entering loneliness the Artist’s freedom and pretest against systems are demonstrated. The loneliness huilt in the artist, is not a loneliness but nectar with colours. He drinks this nectar and runs here and there on the lonely land called canvas, according to his wish, He becomes a hero who rules in the loneliness unknowingly. Although the society isolates the artist. The loneliness does not isolate the artist. But makes him a hero of the social history. The heroism he obtains across that loneliness is unfolded elegantly in front of the society.
“The Artist become naked in the loneliness. That nakedness rises up to the sky in the space of spiritualism and travels”
Portrait of Mahinda Rajapaksha
Oil on Canvas 206×119cm
Through collapsism, what shows us is the unseen other side of it. It visualizes that the abnormality has been built up largely as a hero. But although it is a victory conquered by the visual art field. It depicts very unfortunate and tragic situation that the whole society have to face. Through the new liberal economic system, all the morals, qualities and factors depending to the existence of the human society have become a prey, and make abnormal and destroys. The improper conditions depicted from the parts of the human body constructed on one upon one on a half decayed part of a barrel fixing on a twig and collapsing clothes and a stripe of red cloth (Kurahan Satakaya) shows the true situation and reality that the backwards new liberal capitalist system. Has inherited to the man.
Curse
Oil on Canvas 180×378cm
This depicts terrible situations exercised at present and have to face in future. It is visualized through all the structural forms. An abnormality has been built up in all the natural, Human and physical phenomena. The artist has to face that destruction.
The greatest Tragedy
Oill on Canvas 300×182cm
This is the greatest tragedy that the artist has to get experience. In the existing society, only the nudity has been given to the artist. This is the true fate that has happened in a free land of canvas infront of his own time and space. That means the dialectic connection between the artist and canvas, palette and the brush breaks. Collapsing is depicted from this. In future he will enher it burning land.
The pressure
Pressure oill on Canvas 206×193cm
Because of the cruelty and opportunism in a social system filled with class difference.This depicts that the whole society has undergone a crisis. Although the mighty man surrenders the feeble and exist in his space both of them have to experience the fate. Protesting, dictatorship, power greediness and the up and down going social pressure are depicted from this. This is the true reality that the man has to face politically, economically and socially. A major meaning that affected collapsism’s maintenance is depicted from this.