Shiro

Visual Artist, Dr. Shiromali Ekanayake -“Shiro”, was the 2023 Call to Create winner, so her work features at the 2024 Shepparton Festival. The annual competition is open to all artists in the Goulburn Valley and one artist’s work is selected as inspiration and visual collateral for Shepparton Festival’s branding design, and this year in a solo exhibition.

As a believer in the power of art as a therapeutic refuge, Shiro invites you to immerse yourself in her self-titled exhibition, curated by Festival Director Kristen Retallick, and located at Goulburn Valley Hospice, an organisation that explores creative ways to support those at a difficult time of their and their loved ones’ lives. To celebrate the exhibition, which runs for the duration of the festival, we invite you to join us for an artist talk on Friday 12th April, 5:30pm amongst the exhibition at GV Hospice.

Shiro is a General Practitioner in Shepparton, and her paintings and collages present art as care, as a vessel for meditation, and as an escape into a realm of uplifting emotions. Her portraits, mostly of people instrumental in her life, are created with energetic layers of paint that unravel the depths of human senses, offering both vibrancy and mysterious darkness. When you visit her exhibition, prepare to be enticed by touch, sight, and the intangible sense of emotion. Shiro’s creations inhabit the space, transforming it into a peaceful sanctuary. Textures beckon to be felt and layered expressive brushstrokes dance between shadows and brilliance, her exhibition is an invitation to experience tranquillity in its most vivid form. Delve into her world at GV Hospice throughout the festival, where each stroke whispers a narrative of calm amid chaos, a testament to the power of art to heal and elevate the human spirit.