ExhibitionsRajni Perera: Futures
May 28 - September 3, 2023
Rajni Perera, "Storm" (2020), mixed media on marbled paper, 76.2 x 61 cm, James McKellar. Photo courtesy the artist and Patel Brown. © Rajni Perera
Rajni Perera's work offers a vision charged with humour and sharp critique, hope and dread.
Rajni Perera is one of Canada’s most promising contemporary multimedia artists. Experimenting with mediums as varied as painting, sculpture and photography, the Toronto-based artist expresses her vision of imagined futures in which mutated subjects exist in dystopian realms.
Drawing deeply on the artistic traditions of her birthplace, Sri Lanka, as well as Indian miniature painting, medieval armour and science fiction, Perera has created a body of work that spans feminist and diasporic themes, while contemplating survival in an environmentally degraded future.
Perera’s work responds to existential threats with creativity and invention, offering a vision charged with humour and sharp critique, hope and dread. Underscored by current global affairs and accelerated climate change, Perera’s vision is as timely as it is compelling.
Futures includes works from all phases of the artist’s career, including new pieces made specifically for this exhibition. Early examples of Perera’s mutated goddesses are displayed in concert with her more recent abstractions and sculptures.
The accompanying publication features an interview of the artist by exhibition curator Sarah Milroy, as well as essays by leading international literary figures Fariha Roisin and Britt Wray.
Curated by
Sarah Milroy
Artists in the exhibition
Rajni Perera
Credits
Organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
