- 1994 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Upali Ananda held a position as Visiting Lecturer at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies for several years. Apart from his art practice, which includes painting and sculpture, he is currently teaching art at the Wayamba National College of Education, Bingiriya, Sri Lanka.
Taking up the signs and motifs of local graffiti and turning them into seemingly comic and frivolous visual narratives, Upali Ananda’s paintings vividly portray the living conditions, hopes, and aspirations of urban youth in marginalized and poverty-stricken areas of the city and its suburbs. While underscoring traditional community values of sharing and mutual support, his paintings also critically highlight the conflicts arising from unequal access to consumer goods amidst an alluring world of commodities.
