Artist Kingsley Gunatilake brings book art to Delhi exhibition

Books tell a story or book covers are a work of art or illustrations make the narrative more realistic – are all statements that you may have heard. In each of these, specific elements related to a book make it more interesting. But have you heard or seen where the whole book, itself, becomes the medium the art? This is the premise on which Sri Lankan artist Kingsley Gunatilake builds his body of work; and Blueprint12 showcases the fine lines between ‘reading a book’ and literally ‘letting a book narrate its story’ at the exhibition Endless Stairs at Bikaner House, New Delhi.  

All about the wonderful world of book art by Kingsley Gunatilake

While the exhibition on the whole brings together Gunatilake’s book art, sculptures, and paintings and reflects his range as an artist, what catches maximum eyeballs is the concept of book art. Even though novelty springs from the concept, he sticks to his style of creativity which borders around abstraction.

Mandira Lamba, director, Blurprint12 states, “There is a quiet intensity in Kingsley’s work that unfolds over time. Whether in the fragile tactility of his book works or the energy of his abstract canvases, you sense an ongoing negotiation with memory, loss, and resilience. This exhibition feels like an accumulation of lived experience, intimate yet expansive, inviting the viewer to engage not just visually, but emotionally.”

Living, trained and working out of Sri Lanka, a section of his works through book art, acts as an outlet of telling the story of disappearing libraries in the recent history of the country. It thus becomes a site of reflection and yet upholds the tragedies that befall knowledge in modern world. Each book is sourced from second hand sources, burnt and then branded with military iconographies which symbolise how unwelcome libraries, the powerhouse of knowledge were.

Apart from book art, his canvases of abstract paintings also denote pages of the book which become the canvas itself. This series is demarcated from his previous exhibitions or body of work, since the paint layering technique is much more intricate. Traditional Japanese washi paper has long textile fibres which absorbs more colour and helps in colour retention in a manner different from traditional paper or canvas surface.

Endless Stairs is on display at Bikaner House, till April 8, 2026, 11 am – 7 pm

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