Unbuilding Blocks - Quadrature Of The Circle iii

About the artist

Sumi Perera is an interdisciplinary artist who links her status as a bimodal émigré born in Sri Lanka and now living in the UK.Using traditional methods of printmaking (mezzotints, etching, engraving, screenprinting, drypoint etc), she combines them with contemporary techniques such as Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC: laser cutting & engraving, sandblasting) to create artist books and print installations.Perera has won several international awards and prizes: The Prix de Print, Art in Print, USA; 1st Prize & Gold medal at the Seoul Bookarts Competition, the 1st Prize at SHELTER, Boston USA; The Flourish Award-Printmaker of the year for excellence in Printmaking & Solo Show.She has work held in many public collections: Tate Britain (9 works), Victoria & Albert Museum (10 works), Yale Centre for British Art (2 works); Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (2 works); British Museum, Royal Collection, British Library, UK; Guanlan Museum, China; Sakima Art Museum, Japan; Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt; Iraq National Library, Bagdad etc.She has been awarded international residencies: a teaching residency at the Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing (2007); guest artist fellowship, residency & solo show at Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venice 2017; The National Open Art Competition, Artist in Residence UK (2016); A Stone Lithography Residency at Pierre Presse, Marcilhac, France (2017); Artist Residency in Yinchuan, China 2019.

SUMI PERERA RE FSDC SGFAMA Camberwell College, MPhil & MSc London School of Hygiene & Tropical MedicineMBBS Colombo Medical Faculty, Sri Lanka. Lecturer at Middlesex University, Visual Arts & Design.PUBLIC COLLECTIONS: Tate Britain (10 works); Victoria & Albert Museum (12 works); Yale Centre for British Art (2 works), USA; Guanlan Museum, China; Grafisk vaerksted-Naestved, Denmark; Sakima Art Museum, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan; printROOM, Rotterdam; Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery; the Ashmolean Museum Oxford; Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Permanent Art Collection, Egypt; Southern Cross University Collection, Australia; Centre for Artist Books, DCA, Dundee; Brooklyn Library, USA; ULUS Collection, Belgrade, Serbia; Taiwan Museum of Fine Art; Scarborough Museum, UK; British Library.Senior Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers [RE]; Fellow of the Society of Designer Craftsmen [FSDC]; Full Member of the Society of Graphic Fine Arts [SGFA] and member of the 62 Group of Textile artists & Prism Print International.Awards, Residencies & Prizes1st Recipient-Guest Artist Full Fellowship Residency & Solo Show. Scuola Internazionale di Grafica,Venice awarded to a member of the Royal Society of Painters-Printmakers 2016-2017Stone Lithography Residency-Pierre Presse, Marcilhac-Sur-Cele, Lot, France May 2017Shortlisted for the John Ruskin Prize. Artist as Polymath 2017Manly Library Artistbook Award & Acquisition. NSW, Australia 2017Overall Best in Show Prize-Strathmore Fine Artist Paper Bursary. Draw 16. Menier Gallery. 2016Artist in Residence. National Open Art Competition. Mercers%u2019 Hall. London 2016Prix de Print. Art in Print feature article by Katherine D Alcauskas, MoMA USA 2015Flourish Award-Solo Show_Huddersfield Art Gallery; Residency WYPW 2015Laurence King Publishers Award. Embassy Tea Gallery, London. 2015Incline Press-Dave Godin Award. Soc. of Bookbinders Conference & Competition %u201815Intaglio & Arqadia Award, DRAW 2014, Menier Gallery, London 2014Intaglio Prize-Printathon at the Formans Smokehouse Gallery, London 2012St Cuthbert%u2019s Mill Prize-DRAW 12 (Interpretation of Theme) Menier Gallery, London1st Prize-Drawing for Design. Rootstein Hopkins Foundation Drawing Exhibition 2011Melville Charitable Trust Award (1st prize) at SHELTER, touring the USA. 2008-2009Distinction-European International Bookart Biennale 2010The Southern Cross University Acquisitive Artist Book Award, Australia. 2009Best Overall Book Design Prize (NPB) & the Aidan Portnall Award (1st prize-Complete Book) Society of Bookbinders International Competition. Warwick University 2009Birgit Skiold Award for excellence in Book Arts, London Artist Bookfair (LAB) %u201805, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) London. 2005Grand Prize-1st International Book Arts Competition, Seoul, South Korea. 2005\Teaching ResidencyCentral Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China 2007CommissionLink Media Systems. 51-52 St Johns Street, London EC1V 4JL 2004Curated Exhibitions15 to 1 [[Teaching Residency at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing] 12 International venues including: the University of West England, Bristol. May 2008 & Frankfurt Book Fair. PhotoGraphics %u2013Invited Curator-Printmakers Council. Great Western Studios London. March 2013SUMI PERERA et al. [SuperPressEDITIONS] %u2013 A 10 year retrospective of several collaborative projects:-Library, Centre for Fine Print Research-University of West England, Bristol, UK. 1stSept-30thOct 2016http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/sumiexh/-Impact 10 International Printmaking Conference. Collaborative Artist Book Exhibition. Cantabrian Central Library, Santander, Spain. 1st- 9thSeptember 2018-Wish You/We Were Here/There%u2026The Power Of The Postcard. Curated by Sumi Perera LG-The London Grouphttp://www.thelondongroup.com/wish-you-we-were-here-there/ 2021 Cutural Centre Liechtenstein. Sympoiesis at Thinking Of Place III An International Touring Exhibition. Satellite Group led by Sumi Perera.1st Venue: Studio 1, Ponsonby Auckland, New ZealandSYMPOSIA & CONFERENCES:KEYNOTE SPEAKER %u2013 PAGES, The 22ndInternational Contemporary Artist Book Fair. The Tetley Leeds. 2nd March 2019SPEAKER%u2013 MULTI MATRIX A Printmaking Symposium.MAC Belfast. Belfast Print Workshop in partnership with University of Ulster & Seacourt Print Workshop. 13thMarch 2020 Masterclass Hybrid Printmaking 14-15thMarchKEYNOTE SPEAKER %u2013 Printmakers%u2019 Symposium: RELAXING THE LINE-THE UNCONVENTIONAL. Royal Over-Seas League, London (TBC in 2022-postponed from 2020)SPEAKER %u2013 Institute of Physics (IOP): Print in Art, Industry & Science Conference, IOP, London 3-4thMay 2022. Process Versus ProductSPEAKER %u2013 Print International Exhibition SYMPOSIUM. T%u0177Pawb, Wrexham February, 2022.Exhibitions Summer Exhibition. Royal Academy. 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021Focalization.Winter Olympics International Printmaking Exchange Exhibition intwo venues opened simultaneously in Beijing on the 18 January: Art Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy (till 20 Feb) & the China Printmaking Museum (till 28 Feb) & will subsequently tour.Print International Exhibition. T%u0177Pawb, Wrexham 4thDec %u2013 26thFeb 2022Thinking of Place III.Northsite Contemporary Arts, Cairns, Queenland, Australia. 21 Jan-19 Feb %u201822Great Print Exhibition.Rheged Arts Centre. Cumbria. 4thDec-27thJan2022Conversations. St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery. 2022.Royal Watercolour Society Open. Bankside Gallery, 2022LG Annual Exhibition.Cello Factory-online. February 2022London Original Print Fair. Royal Academy, Piccadilly, London. 2009-2016World Buildings Project-UN 17 SDGs. Launch & Unveiling Minden, Germany. Aug/Sept [-5 years]Stitch your Own Story - British Textile Biennial.Collaboration with Jamie Chalmers. Blackburn Cathedral. Pennine. 2021Conspectus-PRISM Krakow. International Centre for Graphics Arts. Krakow. 2021Unseen.Form & Concept Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. 2021In Plain Sight.Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton. 2021Autumn Exhibition. Bankside Gallery September 2021Ecologies of Change. Royal Overseas League, Mayfair, LondonRE Originals.Annual Royal Society of Painter Printmakers. Bankside Gallery 2021IMPACT 11.International Printmaking Conference. Hong Kong April 20-25th2021 (online exhibition of 12 videos available for 1 years viewing)DRAW 20.The SGFA Centennial Exhibition. The Mall Galleries, London 2021 2021.Coming Up For Air.Waterloo Festival. St John%u2019s Church, Waterloo, London 2021In The Dark III-Being There.Crypt of St John%u2019s Church. 2021One Of Many-AMBruno. Printed Matter, New York Artist Book event & BABE, Bristol 2021Prism Print International-INOAC Namiki-dori Gallery, Ginza Japan. 2019Global Matrix IV. Robert Ringel Gallery Lafayette, USA. Touring USA 2017-2019London Group Open-Parts 1 & 2.Cello Factory, London. 2019Nature et Gravure. Plobannac-Lesconil Brittany. France201910thInternational Print Biennial of Duoro.Portugal 2020Liminal Spaces II-Solo Exhibition. Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venice 2017Saxa Loquuntur, Lithography Show.Pierre Presse, Marcilhac-Sur-Cele, France May-June 2017Dialogue in Yinchuan, China. August-September 2017John Ruskin Prize Exhibition. Hand & Eye-Master of all Trades in the Age of Jack. Millennium Gallery, Sheffield 2017.Sumi Perera et al. Collaborative Projects [SuperPress EDITIONS]. Centre for Fine Print Research, University of West England, Bristol. 2016Pushing Boundaries. Farmleigh Gallery & Dunamaise Arts Centre, Ireland 2016/ 201718 RE Members. Highpoint Centre for Printmaking, Minneapolis USA 2016Liminal Spaces I-Solo Show. Flourish Award Winner. Huddesrfield Art Gallery. 2016

More about Sumi Perera

About the artwork

An ongoing series developed from creating a maquette that had concentric rings cut out to allow a flat 2D image to lift off the paper to form a 3D structure akin to a Chinese lantern. This series took the initial drawing I made. It is heavily embossed to allow the visually impaired to feel the surface ridges. This work was devised as a stack arranged from i-vi seeking light in a time of extreme darkness. The same plate is used to generate a pattern from absolute darkness to emerging light (or vice versa) using intaglio and relief inking techniques. The prototype Quadrature of the Circle-Unbuilding Blocks [QoC-UB] (acquired by the British Museum, Royal Collection & Ashmolean Museum) was designed to celebrate the Bicentennial of the RE, a touring exhibition REbels. The integrity of the perfect centre dismantles into imperfection towards the periphery. It is a reflection that stability within life is possible if forces outside work together to allow light into any dark situation.