Manchester-based; self-taught contemporary artist Dr Shanali Perera is making it her life’s mission to help others understand illness visually. Her passion led her to be the commissioned artist for two creative campaigns: internationally on vasculitis and nationally on rare illnesses. Born and raised in Sri Lanka, she went on to study Medicine at the University of the West Indies and continued with postgraduate training in the UK. Developing Vasculitis, an autoimmune condition while specializing in Rheumatology, forced her to quit her medical career. Losing herself to illness she struggled with image and identity. Artistic expression helped to transform her life into a more meaningful way of living as she shifted roles from clinician to patient to becoming a person again. Her abstract expressions are of ‘the embodied invisible’ - a visual narrative portraying an honest representation of her relationship with illness. Being an educator, author, and former physician Shanali works across intersections of art, medical education, and patient support by doing talks and workshops, presenting at conferences, and writing articles. She published her first book ‘Finding Me Beyond Illness’, out now. Shanali navigates the concept of creating dialogic canvases to connect with you, spark thought-provoking conversation and raise awareness around identity and illness. For more information, visit her website www.shanaliperera.com
