"It is difficult to place contemporary thinking in Sri Lankan art in a historical context. The theoretical basis, evolutionary history and implicit or explicit conceptualisation of current art practice defy description in terms of categories such as modernism or post-modernism.

To say quite simply that it is 'post-traditional' gives one breathing space. But this characterisation itself is misleading - one can often see underneath a yearning for tradition, for an ideal lost, for roots in the past. Its immediate stylistic qualities have something in common with Euro-American modernism. At the same time, the critical stance on which most current artworks are constructed presents a post-modern aura. Just as the ox-cart and the microchip jostle in the streets of Colombo - a post-colonial, historical space in which the history of technology is turned on its head - post-traditional, para-modern art practice addresses this confusing situation cheerfully, confidently, violently, with a sense of tragic irony."

Jagath Weerasinghe: "Artlink 2000"