My interaction with the British Council started as a child, with regular monthly visits to the library with my mother. Since I was, and still am, an avid reader, it was wonderful to see all those books available and waiting for me to read.
The British Council hosted the launch of my father Ray Wijewardene’s website a year after his demise, which was very special as he was also half British and studied at Cambridge University.
Having been a regular visitor as a child, I was away for thirty years as I left Sri Lanka to study at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London and then continued with designing, painting and lecturing in the UK. On my return, I have frequented the British Council and attended several cultural events spanning art, music, poetry, drama and dance and symposiums.
The British Council hosted the launch of my father Ray Wijewardene’s website a year after his demise, which was very special as he was also half British and studied at Cambridge University. I particularly loved the series of experimental and intimate theatre productions performed in the library by Mind Adventures Theatre Company and would love to see more of that type of cultural interaction.
I represented the SAARC region featuring women artists of the Silk Route at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong in 2016 and my work is currently showing at the European Cultural Centre during the 58th Venice Biennale. I have just launched in London my monograph encompassing fifty years of a life in art. My work is very closely linked to my experiences in the UK+SL and focuses on Climate Emergency. I believe that the British Council can be a stakeholder in promoting topics on diversity, inclusivity and coexistence in Sri Lanka as they are issues that encompass my work and are close to my heart.