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Rajni Perera

The work of Sri Lanka-born artist Rajni Perera explores diasporic mythology through the lens of science fiction. Drawing upon her own rich visual experience of immigrant culture, and her environmental concerns arising from colonialism and the ravages of profit-driven resource extraction, she imagines an off-world that is triumphant.

This spring, her work will be presented in duo at the Phi Foundation, followed by a solo exhibition at the Musée d’art de Joliette. Her work has previously been exhibited at the McMichael Museum (Kleinburg, Canada, 2022-2023), Temple Contemporary (Philadelphia USA, 2022), Jeffrey Deitch (Los Angeles, 2022), National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, Canada, 2021), Glasgow Tramway (Glasgow, Scotland, 2020), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Toronto, Canada, 2018), The Museum of Moder Art (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), the art Gallery of York University (Toronto, Canada, 2017), the Colombo Art Biennale (Edinburgh, UK, 2017). The Art Gallery of Ontario acquired and exhibited one of her artworks in 2019.

Rajni Perera, Nesting, 2024 XPS foam, acrylic paint, epoxy putty, synthetic fur, mixed dyed feathers, sheep bones, deer bones, plastic, plaster, wood plinth Scultpure : 91,5 (h) x 35,5 x 76 cm (36” x 14” x 30”) Base : 96,5 (h) x 49 x 74 cm (38” x 19” x 29”)
Rajni Perera, Tumbleweed (Phylogeny series), 2024 Acrylic gouache, chalk, charcoal, gel pen and pencil on hand marbled paper 85,7 x 152,4 cm (33,75” x 60”) – trapézoïdal
Rajni Perera, Tata (Phylogeny series), 2024 Acrylic gouache, chalk, charcoal, gel pen and pencil on hand marbled paper 61 x 36,8 cm (24” x 14,5”)
Rajni Perera, Airslugs (Phylogeny series), 2024 Acrylic gouache, chalk, charcoal, gel pen and pencil on hand marbled paper 61 x 36,8 cm (24” x 14,5”)
Rajni Perera, Lagoon, 2023 Acrylic gouache, chalk, charcoal, gel pen and pencil on hand marbled paper 117 x 168 cm (46” x 66”) – trapezoidal
Rajni Perera, A Starry-eyed Subspecies, 2022-2023 Polyurethane foam, wood, cowhair, polymer clay, epoxy clay, synthetic track weave,polyester, cotton, dried grass, synthetic grass, acrylic paint
Rajni Perera, Desert, 2023 Acrylic gouache, chalk, charcoal, gel pen and pencil on hand marbled paper 117 x 168 cm (46” x 66”) – trapezoidal
Rajni Perera, Tundra, 2023 Acrylic gouache, chalk, charcoal, gel pen and pencil on hand marbled paper 117 x 168 cm (46” x 66”) – trapezoidal
Rajni Perera, Living Tech / Droid, 2023 Polymer clay, air dry clay, aluminum, freshwater pearls, styrofoam, brass, faux fur, Acryl-gouache 23 x 38 x 15,5 cm (9” x 15” x 6”)
Rajni Perera, Still Life / Tropics 1 & 2, 2021 Mixed media Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Rajni Perera, Still Life / Tropics, 2021 Mixed media on paper 76 x 56 cm (30″ x 22″) Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Rajni Perera, Still Life / Tropics, 2021 Pâte polymère, teintes acrylique, vernis, cloche de verre, tablette en bois Polymer clay, acrylic tints, varnish, glass bell, wood shelf 8 x 11,5 x 6,5 cm (3,25” x 4,5” x 2,5”) Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
2021 Sobey Art Award Exhibition Installation view, National Gallery of Canada (Photo courtesy of the NGC and the artist)
Rajni Perera, Still Life, 2021 Mixed media on paper 38 x 29 cm (15″ x 11,5″)
Rajni Perera, Fever (Objects of Dreamworld series), 2020 Mixed media on paper 69 x 71 cm (27” x 28”) Private collection
Rajni Perera, I take a journey, you take a journey, we take a journey together / Mask 4, 2020 Textile, leather, beads, lace and thread on gasmask 30,5 x 30,5 x 21,6 cm (12” x 12” x 8,5”)
RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting, 2020 Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montréal, Canada (curator: Cheryl Sim)
Rajni Perera, Holding a Friend, 2020 Painting: watercolour, gouache, gelpen and acrylic on paper 37 x 30,5 cm (14,5″ x 12,5″) Sculpture: leather, fur, bead portion, lace and cotton 12,7 x 7,6 x 7,6 cm (5″ x 3″ x 3″)
Rajni Perera, Ripple Machine, 2020 Marbled papers, chalk, acrylic gouache, pencil on Yumashi paper 48 x 29 cm (19” x 11,5”)
Rajni Perera, Lies, 2020 Marbled papers, chalk, acrylic gouache, pencil on Yumashi paper 44,5 x 29 cm (17,5” x 11,5”)
Rajni Perera, Traveler, 2019 Mixed media on stretched cotton rag stock 40,6 x 20,5 cm (16″ x 12″) Private collection
Rajni Perera, Banner 1, Banner 2 and Talisman (collaborative sculpture) 2018 Believe (commissaire_curator David Liss) Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada
Rajni Perera, Banner 2, 2018 Believe (commissaire_curator David Liss) Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada
Migrating the Margins, 2021 Installation view, Art Gallery of York University, 2017