Janani Cooray
Born
Bulathsinhalage Janani Chandima Cooray
NationalitySri Lankan
Alma materUniversity of the Visual and Performing Arts
University of Kelaniya
Known forOsariya (2015)
Websitejananicooray.com

Bulathsinhalage Janani Chandima Cooray is a Sri Lankan contemporary performance artist, art educator and painter. She is regarded as one of the leading performance artists in Sri Lanka. She has held exhibitions around the world, including Bangalore, Colombo and London.[1]

Career

Cooray initially began her career as a painter and later switched to performance art in 2003 after being acknowledged about the concept of live art at the Theertha International Arts Workshop in 2003.[2] She also took part in the event and showcased her first performance art Cage[3] She developed the interest on performance art at a time when it was not officially considered as a concept in Sri Lanka.[4] Janani pursued her higher studies in the field of performance art from the University of the Visual and Performing Arts. Her notable performance My Web came at the Live Art 2011 exhibition where she depicted that her long hair had become her signature style in the professional life.[3]

She has also performed exhibitions about the socio-cultural obstacles for women in the Sri Lankan society regarding the selection of clothing.[5] Janani who is also a school teacher is a vocal critic of mandatory rule on women teachers wearing sari in government schools.[2] Janani received media attention in 2015 for her street performance wearing a traditional Sri Lankan Osariya costume along with covering her body with barbed metal wires.[5]

Misinformation

Her image of wearing Osariya along with whole body being covered with barbed wires in a 2015 street performance became viral in the social media in September 2020 as many users in India falsely interpreted that the woman showed her frustration after the Hathras gang rape and murder by dressing up herself with barbed wires.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "'ONE WON – An expression through art' | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  2. 1 2 "Janani's Golden Roses in Spain". Retrieved 2020-10-01 – via PressReader.
  3. 1 2 Achanta, Pushpa (2011-11-24). "Lanka's breakaway performer". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  4. ↑ "Performing Arts as a social criticism". Sunday Observer. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  5. 1 2 "Everyday Dances: The Unspoken Politics Of The Body". roar.media. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  6. ↑ Kundu, Chayan (October 1, 2020). "Fact Check: Is this woman wearing barbed wires in protest against Hathras incident?". India Today. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
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