Michella Perera

I am a Sri Lankan-Irish artist currently based in Glasgow, having completed my MFA at the Glasgow School of Art in 2017. I have received graduate awards for both my BFA + MFA degree shows, I subsequently worked at the Glasgow Sculpture Studios, UK and The National Sculpture Factory, Ireland. My practice constitutes painting, sculpture and installation art and recent exhibitions include Limerick City Gallery, Ireland; Printemp-D’Art-Contemporain & Gallerie Nectar; France, Sculpture Placement Program, 16 Nicolson Street, House for an Art Lover & Glasgow Project Space, UK, and Kunstkraftwerk & Pilotenkueche, Leipzig. I have participated in a variety of international residencies including Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland; Orbit Gallery, UK; Mauser Foundation, Costa Rica; House for an Art Lover, UK; PECAH, India.

My practice often incorporates participatory events which function as a research tool, allowing me to explore the impact of cultural practices in communities, and integrate in the shared storytelling of neighbourhoods - particularly the sorority of immigration. Having moved from Sri Lanka, I explore the sensorial story of movement, cultural taboo, weight of the “matrilineal” and the solidarity/empowerment of women from South Asia.

The ceramics, embroidery, sewing, various mixed media and paintings, which constitute my practice, reference South Asian collective practices such as henna tattooing, sewing circles, rangoli decoration, community projects and food sharing events. I draw on Ayurvedic practices which use plants, herbs and spices as tools for healing in the Indian subcontinent highlighting indigenous medical practices & ethnobotany.