Lankan bead artist at the Royal Academy of Arts summer show
Sharmini alongside her work at the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition
“I have always had a strong interest in the arts,” says Sharmini Wirasekara whose stunning beaded creations are currently being exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition in London taking place from June 17 to August 17.
This Sri Lankan bead artist has her work also in the permanent collection in the Museum of Beadwork in Portland, Maine, the Henry Ford’s Glass Collection in Michigan and in the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, all in the US.
Though an accountant by profession, art has always been a passion and a hobby for Sharmini, who enjoyed ceramic painting and drawing. After moving to Canada in 1988, she signed up for a two-year diploma course in textile arts in 1992 and that’s where the shift from business to arts began for her, she says.
Sharmini’s specialty is bead weaving through which she creates beautiful intricate work. Her work on display at the Royal Academy of Arts features her creations “Whispered Conversations” which symbolizes the metamorphosis and the journey of a butterfly, and “Lessons of the Lotus” which is a cup and saucer design, that portrays resilience, beauty and purity.
Her passion for bead weaving started when she took part in a workshop on ‘off loom Peyote bead weaving’ in 1997. This is the technique she employs in her creations. “After the first workshop it was pretty much self-taught” she says and since then she has learned a variety of new beading techniques. “Over the years I have developed my style. I started off with doing very small items and now I have progressed onto the bigger sculptural items,” she adds.
Sharmini’s work feature intricate details that contain minute cylindrical glass beads, that connect evenly when woven. Every square inch of her creations contains almost 300 beads making the process time consuming and extremely detailed. Light plays an important role in her designs, as the beads have to be selected according to their light reflecting qualities.
Lessons of the Lotus
“I don’t personally see a challenge in the actual creation of the piece because I enjoy it so much,” Sharmini says. However, she states that there is limited knowledge on the technique and galleries are not very aware of the craft, particularly in Europe. “It’s not out there as textiles and ceramics.” Being featured in the Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition, shows that the art of bead weaving is gaining visibility.
“It was very special to see my work (there),” she says of seeing her work at the exhibition opening.
Her themes centre around nature and cultural design, and Sharmini is often inspired by her Lankan heritage, as in the lotus design, which is very much a symbol of Sri Lanka. She draws from Lankan temple drawings, old jewellery designs and textile designs. Visiting Sri Lanka often, she says her visit this year was quite inspiring too.
Sharmini is represented by Mobilia Gallery, in Massachusetts, USA. The gallery is currently exhibiting her work as part of a group exhibition and she is a part of another exhibition with the gallery scheduled for September; “What to Collect Now: Contemporary Textiles”.
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