<<ONTARIO ARTS COUNCIL PROPOSAL>>
<<ARTISTIC MERIT>>Tell us about your overall artistic work, history and achievements. What is important to you in your work (cultural influences, your identity, geography, community, language, etc.) and why? If you identify with one or more of OAC’s priority groups, or if your ad hoc group/collective or organization is mandated to serve one or more of OAC’s priority groups, you may choose to refer to this here.
I'm an installation artist focused on creating site specific immersive experiences. My practice involves creating these environments using woven murals, black light illumination and original soundscapes. Whether it be in a gallery, a festival, or as a studio exploration - every piece is designed to transform space into a multi-sensory meditative landscape.
My artwork reflects on my story as a daughter of immigrants who left their homeland for Canada due to the Sri Lankan Civil War of 1983 to 2009. Though the impact of the war varies drastically between us, what remains consistent is the recognition of a silent mourning for a lost identity. Watching my family carve space for themselves in Canada in-spite of this loss, has served as the foundation to my practice.
Our stories, culture and heritage are all that remains now. As descendants of war, the pain of the surviving diaspora rests undisturbed, suppressed into the subconscious and inherited over generations (epigenetic war trauma). Consequently PTSD, depression and related mental health obstacles run rampant in our communities but remain untreated due to stigmatization.
My work aims to create a focal point for healing and understanding, while simultaneously paying homage to our dual heritage. They depict reflections of our collective history and present reality with visual/sonic references to passed ancestral traditions by our mothers. These references include the ancient drawing form of Kolams, the dance of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music tradition. Iconography from Hindu and Buddhist myth are used as well reflecting on a pre-war cultural landscape that coexisted in Sri Lanka.
My artworks emerge from the dark unknown, much like my parent's journey navigating new terrain without language, land or security - and like the hope that carried their immigrant dream, my light works reveal themselves in all their unique complexity to say "I see you".<<PAST INSTALLATIONS>>
<<PAST INSTALLATION PROPOSALS>>
<<INSTALLATION SOUNDSCAPE SAMPLES>>
<<EXHIBITION EXPERIENCE>>
April 2 0 1 7 - Lakshmi Installation for McMaster Thesis Project
McMaster Museum of Art/ Gallery Installation / Toronto, ON
Indoor wall installation. Curated by Svava Thordis Juliusson.
Jan. 2 0 1 8 Lucid Dreaming Installation for CUTMR Exhibition
The Gladstone Hotel / Event Installation / Toronto, ON
Immersive room installation with soundscape piece. Curated by Lukas Toane.
April. 2 0 1 8 Balance Installation for WIPP Toronto
Much Music HQ / Event Installation / Toronto, ON
Indoor wall installation.
August 2 0 1 8 Resonance Installation for Manifesto TO
Ossington Tire / Event Installation / Toronto, ON
16 ft by 16 ft wall installation. Curated by Ashley McKenzie.
Dec. 2 0 1 8 Invisible Cities 2 Installation for the Sky Yard
The Drake Hotel / Seasonal Installation / Toronto, ON
3 panel outdoor wall installation. Curated by Mia Nielsen.
April 2 0 1 9 Lotus Installation Series for Stackt Market
Stackt Market / Artist Residency / Toronto, ON
5 wall panels + 1 free standing installation. Curated by Jacquelyn West.
July 2 0 1 9 Novacane Installation for Banded Purple
MOCA / Event Installation / Toronto, ON
Free standing wall-size installation. Curated by Lauren Pirie.
Oct. 2 0 1 9 The Palace of Winds Installation for the Jaipur Festival
The Distillery District / Event Installation / Toronto, ON
Mounted wall-size installation. Curated by Jade Lee Hoy.
Nov. 2 0 1 9 Sun Showers Installation for HXOUSE Connections
Daniels Launchpad / Event Installation / Toronto, ON
Free standing wall-size installation. Curated by Patrica Yeboah.
Dec, 2 0 2 0 - Place(makers) Workshop - STEPS.
Lead a workshop series that facilitated making a public art
piece created by seniors of the Regent Park community.
(2020-Present) - Artscape Atelier - Daniels Corp.
Commissioned with team (pranavi and jasmine) to lead the development of
433 artisanal planters as welcome gifts for new members of Regent Park.
Dec, 2 0 2 0 - Toronto Arts Council - Independent ARTIST CATEGORY
Received the Individual - Visual Arts Grant from the TAC to
create a prototype installation for nuit blanche 2021?*
Jan, 2 0 2 1 - SKY AND COLOUR DIGITAL GALLERY
COLLABORATOR OF GRAPHICS/ILLUSTRATIONS FOR SAM MADHU’S “NIRVANA[EXE]” DIGITAL PIECE
https://skyanycolour.com/nirvana
What are you planning to do, and what do you want to achieve with this project?
The plan is to take part in a customized 9-month residency with Sampradaya Dance Creations to train for and develop performance inclusive installations. Over the course of the residency I will collaborate with the academy's Assistant Artistic Director Suma Nair to conduct studies combining my physical installations with contemporary Bharatanatyam choreography, creating living installations that will be video documented.
Like all the girls/women in my family I grew up learning Bharatanatyam. However I lost touch with the dance tradition while pursuing my visual arts studies. I eventually came to realize the ways in which I referenced the visual motifs/narratives of the dance in my installations. As I resumed my studies with the Adult Sampradaya Academy classes last year I've gradually reconnected with this ancient dance that tethers me to my ancestors.
The narratives studies in this program involve paralleling Hindu myth with the diaspora experience through the lens of a 2nd generation millennial. In my studies I will specifically explore the narrative of the goddess trinity (of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati/Kali) juxtaposed to the diaspora journey. The reason for this parallel is because my family and the majority of the Sri Lankan-Tamil diaspora population follow Hinduism, thus during times of both despair and happiness, community members worship these idols seeking guidance, aid or gratitude. During both wartime and the immigration journey daily occurrences were explained using the cycles/stories presented in their mythic structure.
The first 2 months of the program will involve weekly 1-on-1 training in Bharatanatyam pertaining to dance theory, usage of mudra sign language, story narration through movement, advanced footwork and standard dance sequences. In addition, apparel/accessory development workshops with fashion design mentor Mai-Da that will occur twice a month to develop body prototypes that can be used for choreography.
Month 3 and 4 of the residency will involve weekly choreography labs where movements sequences are developed with the purposes of integrating the body prototypes. Construction of narratives through dance with respect to the themes in my work will be explored during this time. Soundscapes will be developed at Lotus Recording Studios alongside these movement studies for later integration.
Months 5 and 7 will involve weekly classes finalizing narratives, choreography and garment/accessory prototypes for our video tests. Installation panel tests will be conducted during this period with visual arts mentorship from artist Rajni Perera. Storyboards/decks for video tests will be created with consultation by filmmaker Devante Thomas.
Months 8 to 9 involves rehearsal and documenting the performance based installations by Devante Thomas. This merges the installation panels, body prototypes and choreography as one.Why have you chosen, or how will you choose, the artistic personnel and/or organization(s) to work with? (Maximum 250 words)
This project involves training at the Sampradaya Dance Academy with guidance from members of their dance company Sampradaya Dance Creations (www.sampradaya.ca). Sampradaya's Assistant Artistic Director Suma Nair was chosen as my primary mentor as she is a professional dancer and choreographer that has extensive expertise in training dancers for their board exams as well as creating choreography for both live and recorded performances. In addition she is also an instructor at the Sampradaya Dance Academy, and is presently my teacher for the Adult Bharatanatyam classes that I take part in on a weekly basis. I will receive video documentation support from video artist Devante Thomas (devantethomas.com) who has worked with Toronto-based production studios and creative agencies like Kid.Studio and Cossette. He was a participant in the Remix Project 14.0 cohort along with myself, and we have previously collaborated on video/pitch deck assignments for the program.Rajni Perera (www.rajniperera.com) will be my visual arts mentor for this project, she is an internationally exhibiting artist from Sri Lanka who lives and works in the GTA. She will provide mentorship with regards to my wall based installation components, and help ideate ways in which the wearable prototype can be incorporated with the installation. I have connected with her with assistance from the artist incubator program HXOUSE.Mai Da (www.instagram.com/mai.kah.da/) will be my fashion design mentor in developing body prototypes. She will facilitate studio workshops on creating wearables for performance. Material studies using embroidery/elastic fabric will be conducted. We have built a relationship after meeting during HXOUSE workshops.<< RESIDENCY INSPIRATION / SAMPLES >>
