Hema Shironi’s art exhibition ‘Families ‘Not’ in the List’ is now on at the Saskia Fernando Gallery.
Shironi’s art practice is deeply rooted in the observance of the history of colonization, civil war, displacement, and migration, which she highlights through personal stories and lived experiences.
She combines embroidery, mythological imagery, national symbols, bricolage, and installation to inquire cultural identity.
Her approach incorporates found materials, mismatched fabrics, and loose threads to document and enquire into the shifting socio-political landscape of the country.
Hema Shironi’s work will be showcased at the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Queensland, Australia, in 2025.
Her art had previously been featured in Critical Zones, conceived by ZKM, Centre for Art and Media Karlsruhe and Colomboscope, Sri Lanka. Her work ‘They Netted Us’ was included in the 13th Taipei Biennial: Small World, at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
Hema Shironi
Shironi earned her BFA from the Ramanathan Fine Arts Academy at the University of Jaffna in 2014 and completed her MFA at Beacon House National University, Lahore, in 2019.
Through her intricate stitching and embroidery on fabric, Shironi explores the circumstances of communities that have been historically overlooked, delving into how identity is shaped by these experiences.
Her work focuses on the concept of home as both a sanctuary and an empty void, weaving a broader narrative that encapsulates her journey and extends to the collective experiences of communities.
Memory is grounded in the experience of migration and displacement that defined her childhood. The practice of embroidery and stitching, passed down to the artist from the maternal figures of her family and forged in domesticity is used with intricate precision and care to recount a melancholic personal and familial journey marked by conflict and loss.
Shironi delves into her nuanced understanding and relationship with the notion of home, influenced by the uprootedness she has experienced and observed in the communities around her.
This concept of home is visually represented through gridded structures that resemble the foundations of a house. Shironi incorporates documentation, commentary, and recollection to create a compelling account that attempts to give voice to the most vulnerable and overlooked in society.
‘Families ‘Not’ In The List’ will run until September 5. The program for the exhibition will include two artist walkthroughs on August 24 and 31 and a conversation with the artist at Saskia Fernando Gallery moderated by MalakaTalwatte, Chair of the Board of Trustees of George Keyt Foundation.
