The Arts & Culture Journal

Sumi Perera is a print maker who has achieved widespread recognition for her artistry. As well as having her work held in many public collections, including the Tate Britain and the V&A, she has exhibited as far afield as Queensland, Australia.

Born in Sri Lanka, Sumi worked in the medical profession for much of her professional career. However, the transition from the psychiatry unit to the studio has been smoothed with resounding national and global success for her artwork.

Fallyrag came across her eye-catching work at Loop 2009 - a print maker’s collective - at the Redchurch Gallery, East London.

Sumi’s work varies in mediums (long, tall wooden structures rest in front of delicately created books) and each piece has a tactile draw that allures the viewer. It’s not simply enough to stand back and stare. Each piece must be handled and studied and appreciated for the incredible craftsmanship that has been executed within it.

In an age where so much emphasis is on sporadic, lucid movement, it is refreshing to witness an artist whose response is measured and planned. While Sumi incorporates digital media into her work, the fast, electric connotations are quite subdued - suspended in more traditional formats that do much to preserve her art and highlight the ever-changing cultural landscape.

Sumi told us: “The artist book format is my preferred mode of presentation because of its portability and affordability. The ability to carry a piece of art within one’s pocket, the release of a cascade of tactile, visual, aural, olfactory and gustatory experiences when the cover is opened, go to make a time-based piece of art.”

As the evidence here suggests, her work holds special resonance by renewing the