ACCLAIMED multidisciplinary artist Anushiya Sundaralingam will bring a powerful new exhibition to Queen Street Studios, Belfast this month (Thursday, 14 August) after a long-awaited return to her homeland of Sri Lanka.
Entitled Fragmented Crossings, the exhibition stems from Anushiya’s visit to Sri Lanka earlier this year - the first time in 30 years - supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture grants. It marks a new chapter in her practice, bringing together works that trace her journey so far - reflecting both her own story and the experiences of others, through themes of memory, displacement, resilience and cultural continuity.
The Belfast-based artist, originally from Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, left the country at the age of 22 during the height of its civil conflict. She has lived in Northern Ireland since 1995, graduating in Fine & Applied Arts from Ulster University in 1998.
Like many who fled during that time, she left behind not just a homeland but also the possibility of return - Jaffna remained inaccessible for years due to heavy military operations and widespread destruction. When she did manage to return in the mid-1990s, it was under dangerous circumstances, travelling by boat through conflict zones and navigating fear, silence and deep uncertainty.
Speaking about that journey to Sri Lanka, Anushiya said: “Everything was bombed - there was no safe way back, I had my young son with me. We didn’t know if we would make it. At the checkpoints, both army and (Tamil) Tigers searched us, and when we got on the boat, we had to walk into the sea silently - no talking - because the navy was nearby and could shell us. There was so much fear.”
The emotional weight of that return became a deep root in her work. When she came back again in March of this year for a three-week residency, the fear resurfaced - this time in a different form.
She said: “I felt a deep fear returning, even after all these years. There was grief, anxiety, even guilt. Walking through places shaped by conflict stirred feelings I hadn’t felt in years. While I was returning to my home, I didn’t feel at home there anymore.”
While there, Anushiya collaborated with University of Jaffna art history students, who worked with her to make an installation with locally sourced banana tree fibres (which have been brought to Belfast to recreate the installation in Fragmented Crossings).
Revisiting crafts rooted in her memories, such as traditional banana fibre and palmyra leaf weaving, Anushiya also had the opportunity to retrace parts of her childhood, revisiting family and friends, her old school, former classmates and temples. Her journey took her from Colombo to Jaffna, through homes and care centres shaped by the legacy of war, where she met children impacted by generational trauma and others who had lived through the conflict firsthand. From war-damaged villages to former bunkers, every step along the way echoed the complex, war-ravaged history of her Sri Lankan homeland.
She said: “It wasn’t just a return - it was a full circle experience. I stood again on the same soil I left three decades ago. I revisited family homes, connected with local artists and discovered pieces of myself I thought I had buried.”
Fragmented Crossings will aim to capture Anushiya’s original return home, by combining sculpture, print, drawing, and installation. A central metaphor throughout the exhibition is the banyan tree, symbolising expansive, wide-reaching roots intertwined with narratives of migration, resilience, cultural loss and the quest for belonging. The banyan, with its layered, ever-growing structure, mirrors the complexity of diasporic identity - and of Sundaralingam’s own journey.
The exhibition also serves as a chronicle of her work to date. With a key symbol throughout it being boats - made of wax and paper, banana fibre and of glass and bronze.
She said: “The boats - they became a symbol of leaving, but also of return. The sea is both a boundary and a bridge. I’m still carrying the same questions in my work that I had 30 years ago, only now I can see how they’ve evolved. I thought I had moved on, but I’m still creating work with the same theme. It’s all still there - those memories, those movements. Now for this exhibition I’m bringing everything together - old prints, collage, drawings, textiles, bronze, banana fibre - reworking, reconnecting.”
And what does she hope Northern Ireland audiences take from the exhibition?
She said: “I hope people here connect with what I do. It’s not just my story. It’s happening all over the world - you only have to look at the news today.
“I still feel like a refugee. Even now, people ask me here and in Sri Lanka, 'Where are you from?' and I’m not sure how to answer. I think we just adapt. My work has become a way of processing that - my story, and others. The banyan tree, the roots, the boats, these pieces speak to conflict, loss, and survival, wherever they happen."
Also speaking about the exhibition, was Jonathan Stewart, Director, British Council Northern Ireland. He said: “Anushiya’s return to Sri Lanka is a powerful example of the impact of our Connections Through Culture grants which foster and facilitate artistic partnerships between Northern Ireland and selected countries. Her work bridges not only geographic distances but also deep human experiences of trauma, resilience, and identity. We are proud to support Anushiya as she continues to create meaningful art that resonates across cultures and invites reflection and healing.”
Fragmented Crossings will open at Queen Street Studios on Thursday, 14 August and will run until 18 September. Anushiya will return to Colombo, Sri Lanka in September with a new exhibition at Saskia Fernando Gallery.
To find out more about British Council’s Connections Through Culture programme visit: https://arts.britishcouncil.org/projects/connections-through-culture-grants
Connections Through Culture grants continues the British Council’s work fostering connections, understanding, and trust between the UK and the world through education, arts, and English language teaching. To find out more about British Council’s work in Northern Ireland, visit or follow on X, Facebook, or Instagram