About
Irushi is an artist and experimental animator from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and currently spending a year abroad as a Chevening Scholar (2022/23) studying an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art in London.
She has a background in English Studies and taught English to undergraduates for almost a decade before pursuing her artistic practice full-time . She has exhibited her illustrations in Colombo, and her animated films have won awards and been screened in festivals in Sri Lanka and abroad. She has also facilitated workshops and guest talks where she has shared her from experiences of being a self-taught illustrator and animator.
Her most recent work is an animated series titled Animate Her, supported by the British Council, which features the animated interviews of a group of exceptional women living and working in Sri Lanka. Through modes of stop-motion and experimental animation the Animate Her series brings to life the stories of a marine biologist, a children’s author and illustrator, a wildlife conservationist, a lawyer and activist, a traditional dancer, an architect, and an ICT entrepreneur. Through her work she hopes to show that here in Sri Lanka, we have our own heroines, with brown skin and dark hair, going to great lengths to excel at what they do.
Get in touch for commissions, facilitating a workshop, or just to say hello! 🙂
Children’s Book Illustration
Let’s Build Great Things, art class manual
The Adventures of Chooty Putha, Written by Anushka Senanayake (2021)
Rescue Mission, Written by A Pushparaj: Room to Read (2018)
Short Stories from Thereabouts, Written by M.T.L. Ebell: Vijitha Yapa Publishers (2018)
Pestering Annie, Written by Marianne Johnpillai (2012)
Gallery Exhibitions and Animation Screening
– Jaffna International Cinema Festival, 2022 (Won the Best National Short Film Award for ‘The Girl in the Rainwater Tree’)
– Agenda14 Short Film Festival, Colombo, 2022 (Best Animated Short Film, Green Award)
– Beyond Borders Feminist Film Festival Dec, 2022 (India, Online)
– Screen Power Film Festival, London, 2022 (Best International Short Film Award, Best Editing Nomination, Best Music Nomination)
– Jacaranda Tales Film Festival organised by Bangalore Film Society, India, 2022
– EyeMyth Media Arts Festival, India, 2022
– Jaffna International Cinema Festival, 2021 (Won the Best National Short Film Award)
– Agenda14 Short Film Festival, Colombo, 2021 (Best Animated Short Film Nomination)
– Colombo International Women’s Film Festival, 2021 (Special Jury Mention)
– Tricky Women/Tricky Realities Animation Festival, Austria, 2021
– Rising Gardens Film Festival, New Delhi, 2021
– Agenda14 Short Film Festival, Colombo, 2020 (Green Award, Best Animated Short Film Award)
– Women of the World- WOW Global24 Online Festival, 2020
– Creating Heroines Pavilion, Women of the World Festival, Nepal (2019), Southbank Centre, London (2020)
– One Hundred Thousand Small Tales, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Colombo, 2019
– One Hundred Thousand Small Tales, Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh, 2018
– Agenda14 Short Film Festival, Colombo, 2016 (Best Animated Short Film Award)
– Passion, Sapumal Foundation Gallery, Colombo (2012)
Contact
Email: irushi@irusdedoodles.com
Education
MA Animation – Royal College of Art, London (2022/23)
MA English Studies – University of Colombo (2020)
Projects & Clients
British Council
Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts
Let’s Build Great Things
Mil Ke Chai
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka
Room to Read
Teakruthi
Unicef Sri Lanka
Women of the World
Animation
+ ’83 – A Very Short Film, based on Black July of 1983 (2016)
+ Girl in the Rainwater Tree, funded British Council and Agenda14’s Female Filmmakers First Grant (2021)
+The Animate Her Series, funded by British Council (2019-2022)
– Asha de vos on Studying Blue Whales
– Amila de Mel on Archiving Architecture
– Sybil Wettasinghe on the Umbrella Thief
– Thaji Dias on Traditional Dance
– Lakmini Wijesundera on Building Global Tech Brands
– Ramani Muttettuwegama on Advocacy for the Disappeared
– Anya Ratnayaka on the Colombo Wetlands and the Urban Fishing Cat
Workshops and Guest Talks
Participated:
British Council ‘Creating Heroines’ International Residency and Workshop for female artists, facilitated by Dr. Nicola Streeten (Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb 2019)
Global Media Makers Creative Producing and Pitching Virtual Workshop (May 2021)
Room to Read Global Illustrators Online Workshop (Aug-Oct 2020)
Facilitated:
– Iru’s Studio Workshop Series (June 2022)
– “Drawing Life Through Comics” virtual workshop organised by the Uva Wellassa University (April 2022)
– “On The Animate Her Series” – Virtual Guest Talk for the EyeMyth Media Arts Festival, India (March 2022)
– “Connecting to History Through Graphic Novels” virtual panel discussion organised by Historical Dialogue.lk and EuroClio – the European Association of History Educators (September 2021)
– “Drawing Life Through Comics” virtual workshop organised by the Geoffrey Bawa Trust (July 2021)
– “Storytelling through comics and sequence” at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (January 2020)
– “Stop-motion animation workshop” at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (January 2020)
– “Ocean Heroes Animation Workshop” marine themed workshop in collaboration with Dr. Asha De Vos of Oceanswell, Colombo (February 2020)
– “Stop-motion Animation Workshop” based on ’83 A Very Short Film conducted for the MENASA Film and New Media Students from the New York University in Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) (Colombo, 2018)