Sri Lanka's forgotten memories

Trincomalee - My Father's Stories and the Lost Photographs is a solo exhibition by German-born Sri Lankan photographer, Liz Fernando.

Trincomalee is a major work by Fernando comprising lost images reconstructed from the collective memory of Sri Lankan residents and stories relayed to the artist by her father. The work has recently been acquired into the permanent collection of the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The exhibition Trincomalee takes name from the original artwork, a handmade art book by the artist. The exhibition continues to include new works with each showing, having its first in 2011, then 2016. Trincomalee in 2018 extends the work to embossed prints by Fernando, and is said to demonstrate several approaches to the priting medium.

Fernando works are said to "create and deconstruct an unfolding narrative that exposes the fragility of memories, [while also] exploring the concept of nostalgia and establishing an underlying universal/personal vocabulary that invites the viewer to make narratives of their own memory and identity."

Liz Fernando is a graduate from the prestigious LCC BA Photography programme at the University of Arts, London. Her work has been exhibited at the Tate Modern, London and is showcased by Photoworks Brighton. She is a Nominee for the Sovereign Art Prize 2018, and  lives and works in Berlin and Colombo.