Muvindu Binoy is an independent filmmaker and artist living and working in Sri Lanka. He conducts an art exhibition titled – ‘Divine Thru’ using collages. Collage gives you the ability to talk in fragments. It has the visual power to give multiple meaning to a single signifier. A shoe is not just foot wear but it has a chance of becoming a head to a human.
However, "Divine Thru" is about accessing the absolute human ecstasy by fulfilling all desires with the excessive use of technology. It's like we are in a drive thru to our own divine. It’s fascinating to see how people visualised gods in the olden days. Especially these gestures, postures you see in Hindu gods. The type of ‘mudras’, body shapes and sexuality is each unique.
According to me, the most interesting part was that, how they portrayed these gods in a luxurious manner. Gold coins pouring out from their palms, wearing shiny gold jewelry and the bright spherical halo as the focus of the entire composition. These are strictly visual observations and I don’t intend to connect any of the interpretations with Hinduism or any religion directly.
You don’t see any sort of simplicity or letting go of your desires by obtaining these god portraits visually, Subconsciously it gives you more of a lavish or a rich idea to consume more to access divinity. "Divine Thru" is a rejuvenation of gods and new century-beliefs.
I have no immediate interest of addressing any social or political context in Sri Lanka. The ideology of my work is always based on my own dystopia where I see my self as an absolute misanthropist. My work directly speaks about individualism.
Working as a full time filmmaker I get inspired a lot by watching movies. Artists like, David Lynch and Harmony Korine are the two main figures I identify as my all time influences. Not just their film work also the fact they use different art forms to express their ideas. The Internet culture or the contemporary pop culture is an inspiration. How people imprudently go beyond their limitations to achieve what they call ‘success’. According to me that's the reality of being a human being. It's always trial and error than the absolute. Divine Thru is actually an expansion of The Holy Merchandise (my previous exhibition) but Divine Thru is more focused and precise, where I only talk about common beliefs and political correctness. Visually, The Holy Merchandise had more of a chaotic approach but this time I wanted to use more bright colors and more expressive images of the human body.