LATITUDE 28 will present Between Dust and Distant Skies, a solo exhibition by Sri Lankan artist Pradeep Thalawatta, opening on 21 August 2026 at the gallery’s Defence Colony space in New Delhi. Running until 19 September 2026, the exhibition brings together painting, drawing, photography and material-led works that examine how images of conflict, migration, memory and everyday life become part of personal experience and collective visual culture.
Exploring Memory Through Images
Curated by Rahul Kumar, the exhibition focuses on the circulation of contemporary images through newspapers, television and digital media. Thalawatta investigates how photographs of distant events gradually merge with family archives, childhood memories and domestic experiences. Rather than treating images as documentary records, the artist approaches them as fragments that accumulate within memory and shape perceptions of home, belonging and identity.
Materials as Archives
A central aspect of the exhibition is the artist’s use of unconventional materials. Used sandpaper collected from construction sites, tar, wrapping paper, toys, stickers and storybooks become carriers of memory and history. According to the curatorial note, these materials retain traces of previous lives and experiences, allowing the artworks to function as both images and archives. The exhibition proposes that memory is formed through layers, erasures and repeated acts of looking rather than through preservation alone.
Childhood, Conflict and Everyday Life
Several works in the exhibition draw upon children’s visual culture, including sticker books, cartoons and storybooks. These familiar objects are placed alongside references to displacement, conflict and loss, creating a dialogue between innocence and geopolitical realities. The artist’s experience of fatherhood also informs the project, offering a perspective through which images of children, safety and vulnerability are reconsidered.
Highlights of the Exhibition
- Every Horizon Comes Home (2026) – Tar and used sandpaper on paper.
- Elsewhere Is Never Far Away (2026) – Aircraft imagery created from used sandpaper surfaces.
- Constructing Childhood with Dust and Dreams (2026) – Works using discarded construction-site materials and sticker-card silhouettes.
- Every War Comes Home (2026) – A work reflecting on childhood and the impact of war.
- Things We Could Never Wrap (2026) – A series combining childhood objects with reflections on conflict and care.
About the Artist
Born in Colombo in 1979, Pradeep Thalawatta is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans photography, installation, video, drawing, performance and painting. His work often engages with the social and political realities of post-conflict Sri Lanka, exploring memory, trauma and transformation through diverse materials and media. He holds BFA and MFA degrees from Beaconhouse National University in Lahore and has exhibited internationally, including at the Dhaka Art Summit, Dakar Biennale, Times Museum Hong Kong and exhibitions across South Asia, Europe and the United States. His works are held in the collections of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan and Millesgården Museum in Sweden. Recent exhibitions have continued to examine the afterlives of conflict and place through material-based practices.
About LATITUDE 28
Established in 2010, LATITUDE 28 has become known for supporting experimental contemporary art practices and emerging voices from South Asia. Founded by Bhavna Kakar, the gallery works across exhibitions, publications and public programmes while fostering dialogue between artists, institutions and audiences. The gallery has developed a reputation for encouraging material experimentation and critical engagement with contemporary culture.
Visitor Information
| Event | Details |
| Title | Between Dust and Distant Skies |
| Artist | Pradeep Thalawatta |
| Venue | LATITUDE 28, B-74, Defence Colony, New Delhi, India |
| Opening Date | 21 August 2026 |
| Exhibition Dates | 21 August – 19 September 2026 |
| Curator | Rahul Kumar |
| Organiser | LATITUDE 28 |
| Website | https://www.latitude28.com |
Conclusion
Between Dust and Distant Skies brings together personal memory, contemporary media imagery and material experimentation to explore how distant events become embedded within everyday life. Through works that connect childhood, conflict and acts of remembrance, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to reflect on the visual worlds they inhabit. It also contributes to broader conversations about empathy, representation and the role of art in understanding shared human experiences.
