MMCA Sri Lanka joins key regional curatorial platforms

Nimaya Harris at ‘Image Worlds: Approaching the Bicentennial of Photography’

Sharmini Pereira at Experimenter Curator’s Hub 2025

Thinal Sajeewa at Curatorial Intensive South Asia

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka) participated in a series of prominent regional curatorial events in July and August 2025. 

These engagements reflect the museum’s commitment to fostering dialogue and collaboration across curatorial and artistic communities in South Asia and beyond.

MMCA Sri Lanka Chief Curator Sharmini Pereira spoke at the 14th Experimenter Curators’ Hub organised by Experimenter Learning Program Foundation at Kolkata, India, on 18–19 July. 

Sharing insights on how spaces for creative work can be forged in contexts that lack conventional creative infrastructure, Pereira also drew from her experiences as the Founder of Raking Leaves, a non-profit independent publishing company. She shared insights on redefining the distribution of artist books, moving away from bespoke yet inaccessible models to more inclusive modes of dissemination.

During her presentation, Pereira also reflected on the making of the MMCA Sri Lanka as the country’s first museum of modern and contemporary art, and the discourses which shape it. Further, reflecting on the role that the museum’s trilingual practice plays in the educational and cultural missions of the MMCA Sri Lanka, Pereira addressed the importance of translation in building accessible creative platforms. The MMCA Sri Lanka’s staff, including Assistant Curator Thinal Sajeewa, Project Curator Nimaya Harris, and Editorial Assistant Kaumadi Jayaweera also attended the Hub as participants, contributing to conversations on contemporary curatorial practices in the region.

Following this, on 20 July, Pereira was a speaker for ‘An Act of Repair: Hosting, Healing and the Future’, a panel discussion organised by Pro Helvetia New Delhi. The panel, moderated by Premjish Achari, Curator, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, examined emerging curatorial methodologies centred on care, repair, and hospitality. Pereira spoke alongside Kunsthalle Basel Switzerland Director and Chief Curator Mohamed Almusibli. 

On 25–26 July 2025, Nimaya Harris was an invited speaker for ‘Sightlines: Locating Ourselves in the 21st Century’, which was held as part of the symposium ‘Image Worlds: Approaching the Bicentennial of Photography.’ The symposium, organised by Offset Projects, Alkazi Foundation, and the MAZE Collective studio, addressed the ‘ambiguity of the visual image, practices of image-making, and the myriad histories and futures that it holds.’ Harris presented a paper titled ‘Framing Modernity: Minnette de Silva Archive and Postcolonial Image-making’, which drew from her research related to the archives of Sri Lankan architect Minnette de Silva.

With curatorial training sitting at the fore of the MMCA Sri Lanka’s priorities, it was delighted to support Assistant Curator Thinal Sajeewa, to take up a place in the seventh edition of Curatorial Intensive South Asia (CISA) from 28 July to 11 August. Organised by the Khoj International Artists’ Association in collaboration with Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi, CISA brings together emerging curators from across the region to explore curatorial strategies through a rigorous and experimental approach. The residency aims to broaden understanding of the exhibition format and expand the discourse surrounding curatorial practice in South Asia.

Sajeewa said, “It was an incredible opportunity to be part of this program; it opened up my mind to the possibilities of curating, especially beyond the framework of institutions. I learned a great deal from the mentors who were not only curators, but also educators, writers, artists, publication editors and researchers, and each of them offered unique perspectives on curatorial practices.” He also added, “It was equally insightful to engage with the other fellows in the residency, whose practices and experiences also shaped my thinking.”