On View: May 16 – August 16, 2025 Venue: Level 23, Cinnamon Life City of Dreams
This month, the Cinnamon Life Artist Spotlight shines its light on Firi Rahman, whose captivating artwork examines the intricate and often strained relationship between urban environments and the creatures that dwell within them. Referring to the migrant experience, Firi Rahman’s art delves into the notions of being and belonging, exploring the obscure meanings of home. He finds a compelling parallel in the parakeets that now populate the Parisian skies. These once-exotic creatures, brought to Europe through luxury trade routes, now inhabit alien landscapes. Their adaptation, however, is met with a growing perception as invasive, and a threat to the native species – a fate not unlike those who have left behind familiar lives in search of greener pastures.
Rahman’s art reveals a deep connection to these creatures of flight, finding in their interactions a yearning for the comfort and warmth of community. His pencil and ink drawings, devoid of colour, convey lingering echoes,where his artwork metaphorically depicts the topic of migration and resettling in foreign climes.
The exhibition features Firi’s recent solo project, “Swept Away Like Leaves,” in conversation with a vibrant array of new pieces that expand upon its central themes. Firi Rahman’s artistic lens keenly observes the fragile dance between humanity and the natural world. His pieces become chronicles of the urban landscape and the resilient creatures that carve out their existence within its concrete embrace, revealing the intricate and sometimes turbulent dialogues that unfold.
Firi, who obtained a Foundation in Art and Design from City and Guilds at Manchester College (UK) in 2012, is a co-founder of ‘We Are From Here’. This collective project shines a light on the deeply interconnected community of Slave Island, whose home is increasingly under threat from gentrification driven by state and corporate agendas.
Firi Rahman is represented by PRSFG and his artwork has been showcased in several exhibitions, including Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Los Angeles (2024), Shahnaz Gallery, London (2024), the India
Art Fair (2023 and 2024), To Lunuganga, Geoffrey Bawa Trust (2023), Dhaka Art Summit (2023), Colomboscope (2016 and 2019), and the Colombo Art Biennale (2016). His pieces are held in private collections across Sri Lanka, Switzerland, India, the United Kingdom, and the USA. In 2023, he was also selected for a residency at the Cité Internationales des Arts in France.
BY NELUM BUDDHADASA