Artists /
Anoli Perera
Based in Sri Lanka
Hailed as the pioneering contemporary women artist in Sri Lanka who ushered in art that is informed by feminism and craft art practices, her work engages critically on thematic that range from women’s issues, history, myth to identity, colonialism and post-colonial anxieties.
About the Artist
Anoli Perera is an artist and arts writer. Unconventionally, she began with a degree in Political Science, Economics, and Sociology from the University of Colombo before pursuing adult education art programs in the US (Santa Barbara and Princeton) between 1988 and 1992. Her works have been exhibited in Colombo Scope, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2019; 4th Edition of Kochi Muziris Biennale, Kochi, India, 2018; Colombo Art Biennale, 2009, 2012 & 2014; ‘Artful Resistance’ Museum of Anthropology, Vienna, Austria, 2009 and Museum der Weltkulturen, Frankfurt, German, 2010; Separating Myth from Reality (Art Festival), Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale, Japan, 2002 amongst others. Her work is included in the exhibition ‘Greetings from India’ as part of 5th Edition of Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival to be held in November 2019 in China. She was invited to show at the launching exhibition of Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, ‘One Hundred Thousand Small Tales’, 2019 in Sri Lanka.
Perera’s works are at the permanent collections of Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Modern Art and Photography Museum, Bangalore, India, World Culture Museum, Frankfurt, Germany, Devi Art Foundation (Anupam and Lekha Podder Collection), Delhi, India, Goldman Sachs Group Collection, New York, USA, Presidential Collection, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ishara Foundation, Dubai. Her works are also in numerous private art collection, in Sri
Lanka and abroad.
Her writings on contemporary Sri Lankan art have been published in number of publications including Art Asia Pacific (Australia), South Asia Journal for Culture (Sri Lanka), Frontline (India), Asian Art Archive (Hong Kong) and numerous art catalogs and books on Sri Lankan art. Her book ‘H. A. Karunaratne’ published in 2018 documents the art practice of a master artist in Sri Lanka.
Anoli Perera is a co-founder of the Theertha International Artists Collective, a progressive art initiative based in Colombo. She is currently a board member and director of Millennium Art Contemporary, a non-profit art enterprise based in Athurugiriya Sri Lanka.
Here is the CV section formatted for copy-pasting into WordPress:
1991 — Artworks: The Visual Art School for Continuing Education, Princeton, New Jersey, USA (Short Course on Stone Carving & Apprenticeship under sculptor Milt Liebson at Artworks)
1989 — Studio Three: Adult Education Art Group. Continuing Education Program, Santa Barbara City College, California, USA.
1986 — Post Graduate Diploma in International Affairs. Bandaranaike Center for International Studies, Sri Lanka.
1984 — B.A in Political Science, Sociology, and Economics. University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2024 — The Debris Collector, Shrine Empire Gallery, New Delhi, India.
2022 — Monsters and Mortals, Barefoot Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2018 — The City: Janus Faced, Shrine Empire Gallery, New Delhi, India.
2016 — Memory Keeper, Hempel Gallaries, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2013 — Memory Keeper, Shrine Empire Gallery, New Delhi, India.
2012 — Comfort Zones, Kashi Gallery, Kochi, India.
2011 — Kuveni: The Queen of Lanka, Hempel Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2007 — Comfort Zones, Red Dot Gallery, Pita Kotte, Sri Lanka.
2003 — Goddesses Descending. Studio @ HW Architects, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2001 — In the Entangled Web. Barefoot Gallery, Sri Lanka.
1999 — My Narratives. Gallery 706, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1998 — The Vehicle Named Woman. Heritage Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1998 — Self Help. International art exhibition in Malmö, Växjö, Örebro and Stockholm in Sweden. Represented Asia with a collection of work consisting of paintings and installations.
1997 — Aditi, an exhibition of paintings. Lionel Wendt Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1995 — Aditi, an exhibition of paintings and sculpture. Lionel Wendt Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1995 — Aditi, an exhibition of sculpture. Hotel Ceylon Inter-Continental. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1993 — An Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture. The Alliance Francaise De Colombo Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1992 — An Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture. The Students’ Center. Chancellor Green Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
1991 — An Exhibition of Paintings. “Nicoleti” (University Center). University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
1991 — An Exhibition of Paintings. University Center Gallery. University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.
1989 — Kala Nirmana. Multicultural Center. University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
2026 — A Contemporary Convergence, Curado Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2025 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2025 — Feminist Futures: Art, Activism and Womanhood, Taragaon Next Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal.
2025 — Feminist Futures: Art, Activism and Womanhood, Lotus Gallery, National Museum, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2025 — Summations of Distraction, MiAC Gallery, Millennium Art Contemporary, Athurugiriya, Sri Lanka.
2025 — After Aphantasias, Bikaner House, New Delhi, India.
2024 — Showcasing ‘The Collective’, Art Now, Singapore.
2024 — Scapes, Curado Art Space, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2024 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2023 — Witness(eth), Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2023 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2023 — Art Dubai, Madinat Jumeriah, Dubai.
2023 — Visible/Invisible, Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore, India.
2023 — Notations on Time, Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai, UAE.
2023 — Mumbai Art Fair, Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Members Enclosure, Mumbai, India.
2022 — Delhi Contemporary Art Week, Bikaner House, New Delhi, India.
2022 — The Brilliant Resilient, The Upside Space, online international platform.
2021 — Fantasy of having a trailer wagon all to myself, Tatiana de Stempel & GALLERY 46, London, UK.
2021 — Visions of India: From Colonial to Contemporary, Monash Gallery of Art, Victoria, Australia.
2021 — Delhi Contemporary Art Week, Bikaner House, New Delhi, India.
2021 — (ME)(MORY), Vadera Gallery, New Delhi, India.
2021 — #NotYourAverag, Zaaman Art, Islamabad, Pakistan.
2021 — It Didn’t Last Long, 1864 – Gall Face Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2020 — Mutant, Aknoon Art Gallery, Teheran, Iran.
2019 — Colombo Scope: Sea Change: As Tide Turns, Rio Complex, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2019 — Delhi Contemporary Art Week, Visual Art Gallery & Open Palm Court Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India.
2019 — One Hundred Thousand Small Tale, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2019 — Greetings from India, 5th Edition of Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, China.
2018 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2018 — Lapses, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India.
2018 — The Edge, Bikaner House, New Delhi, India.
2018 — 4th Edition of Kochi Muziris Biennale, Aspinwall Hall, Fort Kochi, Kochi, India.
2017 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2017 — Lapses, Harrington Street Arts Centre, Kolkata, India.
2017 — Tale of Two Cities, Red Dot Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2017 — Portraits of Intervention, Aicon Gallery, New York, USA.
2017 — Return in Search of Stillness, Sciennes Gallery, Summer Hall, Edinburgh, UK.
2017 — Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2016 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2016 — Imagined Futures and Reconstructed Pasts, Bikaner House, New Delhi, India.
2016 — Tale of Two Cities, Adil Shah Palace, Goa, India.
2016 — Tale of Two Cities, Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts, New Delhi, India.
2015 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2015 — Excavation/ Eruption. Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, India.
2015 — Performed, Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2014 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2014 — Colombo Art Biennale, J. D. A. Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2014 — Memorabilia, Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, India.
2014 — Serendipity Revealed, Brunei Gallery, London, UK.
2014 — Beware: Wet Ink, Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2013 — India Art Fair, NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, India.
2013 — Art Basel 2013, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong.
2013 — Serendipity Revealed, China Art Project Space, Hong Kong.
2012 — Becoming: Colombo Art Biennale, J. D. A. Perera Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2011 — Theertha Artists at Shanthi Road, 1 Shanthi Road, Bangalore, India.
2010 — Between Kismet and Karma, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds, UK.
2010 — Theertha Artists at Shanthi Road, 1 Shanthi Road, Bangalore, India.
2010 — Artful Resistance: Contemporary Art From Sri Lanka, Museum der Weltkulturen, Frankfurt, Germany.
2009 — Theertha Art- Works on Paper, National Art Gallery, Male, Maldives.
2009 — Colombo Art Biennale, Park Street, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2009 — Artful Resistance: Crisis and Creativity in Sri Lanka, Museum für Völkerkunde, Austria.
2009 — Separating Myth from Reality (Art Festival), Siddhartha Gallery, Katmandu, Nepal.
2008 — Six Degrees of Separation, Ananth Gallery, Delhi, India.
2007 — Arte Curioso, Red Dot Gallery, Pita Kotte, Sri Lanka.
2007 — Images of Globalization, National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2006 — (A)critical Intimacy, Harold Peiris Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2005 — Swedish Sri Lankan Artists’ Residency Exhibition, Harold Peiris Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2005 — Ten Artists Exhibition, Millesgarden, Lidingo, Sweden.
2004 — Urban and the Individual, Finomenal Space Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2002 — 2nd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale, Fukuoka, Japan.
2002 — Asian Art Festival, Fukuoka, Japan.
2002 — ‘Crafty Thoughts’, University of Liverpool Gallery, Liverpool, UK.
2000 — ‘Reclaiming Histories: A Retrospective Exhibition of Women’s Art’. Sapumal Foundation Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1999 — Exhibition of selected works by women artists commemorating ‘Women’s Day’. The VAFA Gallery. Ethul Kotte, Sri Lanka.
1999 — Third International Artists’ Camp Exhibition, National Art Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1999 — ‘No Order Group Exhibition’. VAFA Gallery, Ethul Kotte, Sri Lanka.
1998 — INDEPENDENCE, an art exhibition to commemorate 50 years of independence in Sri Lanka. Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1998 — Self Help Art Exhibition. Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1997 — First International Artists’ Camp Exhibition, National Art Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1996 — Young Contemporaries Exhibition. The National Art Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1995 — Nawa Kalakaruwo Exhibition. The National Art Gallery. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1991 — Art: the Prism of the Spirit. Gallery 1434. University of California, Santa Barbara. California, USA.
1989 — Spectrum. An Exhibition of Paintings. Antioch University Gallery. Santa Barbara, California, USA.
1989 — Reflecting Culture Through Art. Reynolds Gallery and Kerrwood Gallery. Westmont College, Monteceto, California, USA.
1989 — Diversity, The Unfolding Mystery. University Center Gallery. University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
Looking for More Information?
Direct your inquiries
