Dr. Shanali Perera is a contemporary artist, educator, author, and former clinician whose multidisciplinary practice weaves together visual art, lived experience, and medical humanities. Originally trained in rheumatology, Shanali's own journey with a rare autoimmune illness (vasculitis) led her to leave medicine and fully embrace her creative voice. What began as a therapeutic outlet grew into a powerful platform for transforming pain into visual storytelling.

Her work explores the emotional landscape of illness, identity, and resilience, blending abstract expressionism with digital motion, live performance, and interactive workshops. She often works in layered acrylics and mixed media, using bold marks and animated fragments to express the sensory chaos of physical and emotional upheaval.

For Shanali, art is both resistance and restoration. Her pieces question traditional representations of health and visibility, offering instead an embodied lens rooted in empathy and shared human experience. Through initiatives like "Living Loving Mess," she continues to challenge norms and spark dialogue between art, medicine, and community. Her practice is not just about what is seen, but what is felt—an ongoing conversation between body, image, and imagination.

Dr. Shanali Perera is a Sri Lankan-born, Manchester-based contemporary artist, author, educator, and former clinician whose journey from medicine to the arts was shaped by her diagnosis with vasculitis, a rare autoimmune illness. Initially trained in medicine, Shanali was compelled to leave her clinical career and embrace art as a means of healing and self-discovery.

Her practice is deeply rooted in her lived experiences, using intuitive abstract expressionist techniques with figurative undertones to explore complex themes of identity, resilience, embodiment, pain, and healing. Through her visually arresting narratives—spanning digital, acrylic, and animated mediums—she seeks to visualise the invisible realities of illness, offering an honest portal into the human spirit’s ability to adapt and transform adversity into creativity.

Describing her pieces as “dialogic canvases,” Shanali invites viewers to engage with the unspoken aspects of living with invisible illnesses, fostering empathy and collective understanding. Her vibrant works have been showcased internationally, including exhibitions at the Women in Art Biennale (London), The Path at the Venice Biennale, Florence as part of the Artist of Europe Award shortlist, Zurich, and Sri Lanka. Through collections like “Living Loving Mess,” she reclaims identity, transforms pain into beauty, and challenges perceptions of what it means to live with illness.

Drawing on a background that spans global health campaigns and medical humanities, Shanali uses art not only to spark conversation and drive social change but also to blend storytelling, advocacy, and healing. Her trailblazing approach positions her at the intersection of artistic expression and activism, inspiring others to view art as a transformative tool for empathy and societal impact. Her first book, Finding Me Beyond Illness, delves into themes of resilience and transformation through creativity, further illustrating her commitment to fostering dialogue, reflection, and advocacy through art.

"My art moves to embrace imperfection, bringing my inner self out. Let it capture your spirit and heart as you see, hear and feel the rhythm of life. See yourself through art. Be inspired. Be moved." ~ Shanali Perera

https://www.shanaliperera.com
https://www.instagram.com/shanalipereraart/

Aug 14 Shanali Perera

Aug 14 Matthew Mark (MCM)

Aug 14 Lorna Buechner