Rajni Perera
A Starry-eyed Subspecies
Rajni Perera
Born in Dehiwala, Sri Lanka, in 1985
A Starry-eyed Subspecies
2022-2024
Polyurethane foam, cow hair, mannequins, polymer clay, clothing and accessories of various fabrics, bamboo, synthetic fibres, wool, leather, metal, plastic, glass, paint, dried grass, synthetic grass, wood
241 x 301 x 164 cm
Gift of the artist, inv. 2024.252
Quebec and Canadian Art
In her installation A Starry-eyed Subspecies, Rajni Perera, one of Canada’s most prominent artists on the international scene, co-opts the diorama display used by natural history museums to depict habitats. Using taxidermy for speculative ends to imagine a future marked by today’s climate disasters, she stages the effects of mutation processes that transform humans and animals, notably those affecting sight. The installation thus becomes a metaphor urging visitors to open their eyes wide in order to take action against looming threats. Yet Perera maintains an optimistic attitude, adopting science fiction to address survival.
