- 1985–1992 Master of Fine Arts (Painting), Moscow State Art Institute, USSR
- 1979–1981 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Chandraguptha Thenuwara is Director of the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts, which he founded in 1993, Lecturer at the Department of Art and Sculpture of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, and Visiting Lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa. He is one of the leading Sri Lankan artists, who has not only exhibited internationally, but through his teaching has influenced a generation of younger artists.
“Terrorism and militarism have changed Sri Lanka from a ‘paradise’ to a different kind of space. A new kind of image emerged … the image of the ‘camouflaged’ barrel, used at barricades, roadblocks, and checkpoints. Painted yellow, green, and black, these barrels came to occupy civil space. Purportedly erected for security, these barricades were securing only power. Those are the things I am trying to question … that’s how I came to ‘Barrelism’. I’m saying there are two kinds of painted barrels— those painted by the authorities (for war) and those painted by me (for peace).”
