about

Thilini Perera is a multidisciplinary designer from Colombo, Sri Lanka. In over 15 years of experience, she has worked with local and international organisations at the intersection of the arts and social justice issues. Her collaborations with global feminist organsations include ARROW, APWLD, CREA, Frida Fund, IWRAW Asia Pacific,  RESURJ and Urgent Action Fund. She has consulted for Care International, IOM, Max Planck Foundation, SID, World Bank, World Food Programme, and UNHCR.

Through these varied engagements, Thilini's expertise has involved finding creative solutions for graphic and editorial design projects, data visualisation, theatre set design, art direction for films, exhibition design, web projects and more. She headed the design team of RMIT university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for two years in 2014–2016.

Thilini has the distinction of being Art Director for the Museum of Religious Freedom which is Sri Lanka's first virtual museum for "archiving, learning, and critically reflecting on the complex histories and contemporary concerns relating to the freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka." This museum is supported by The Intercultural Innovation Award. She is currently conceptualising a mobile exhibition for this project, which will travel around Sri Lanka to conduct interactive workshops and talks on religious freedom with local communities. 

Since 2019, Thilini has held the position of Design and Communications Manager for the Geoffrey Bawa Trust (private trust of the Sri Lankan Architect Geoffrey Bawa, regarded as having been one of the most important and influential Asian architects of the 20th century), where she conceptualises online and on-site projects including the year-long Bawa 100 programme and the first public exhibition of the Geoffrey Bawa archives It Is Essential to be There. She is currently designing the forthcoming book, Drawing from the Geoffrey Bawa Archives, with Swiss publisher Lars Müller Publishers. 

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publications

Rabbit in the Moon, Inkbrick No. 5 with Deshan Tennekoon (2016)
20°C/32°F, Bystander Anthology by Kadak Collective (2020)
Untaming Restraint and the Deferred Apology, Improvised FUTURES by Tulika Books with Natasha Ginwala (2021)

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talks

DESIGN UNITED: Bawa in the Digital Age

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selected clients

Arts and Culture

Geoffrey Bawa Trust
Colomboscope

British Council

Automotive

Mercedes-Benz

Civic and Public

The Asia Foundation
Centre for Policy Alternatives

Centre for a Smart Future

Colombo Urban Lab

Groundviews
The German Society for International Cooperation (GiZ) GmbH

Institute of Policy Studies

LIRNEasia

Development

CARE International

IOM

Max Planck Foundation
UNHCR

World Bank

World Food Programme

Design 

Sri Lanka Design Festival

Urban Island

Education

RMIT
Academy of Design (AOD)

Human Rights

ARROW

APWLD
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
Centre for Equality & Justice
CREA

Frida Fund

International Womens' Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific

The Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion

RESURJ
Urgent Action Fund

WAO
Women and Media Collective

Publishing

Echelon Magazine

Theatre + Film

Mind Adventures Theatre Co.

Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke
The Milo Wladek Co.