Sheelasha Rajbhandari and Hit Man Gurung with hosts Christiane Brosius and Sabin Ninglekhu

In this episode of the Heritage as Placemaking Podcast, Christiane Brosius and Sabin Ninglekhu sat down with visual artists and curators Sheelasha Rajbhandari and Hit Man Gurung. Sheelasha and Hit Man walked us through their artistic and curatorial practices with a particular eye on the connection between their work and cultural heritage, the many faces of indigenous resistance, and the plural dimensions of decolonization. With a critical eye on the notion of heritage, particularly the construction of a national or ‘representational’ image of the state, Sheelasha and Hit Man highlighted the potential of civil solidarity and commoning to create transnational artistic counter-narratives. In doing so, they suggested that forging solidarity effects a kind of artistic practice as placemaking, rendering visible traditions of making and knowing that have previously been marginalized, and which contribute to the making of new social ties beyond the ethnic or national.

Sheelasha Rajbhandari and Hit Man Gurung are Kathmandu-based visual artists, curators, cultural organizers, and founding members of ArTree Nepal. Hit Man’s art deals with ideas of fragmented histories, failures of human revolution and human mobilities. His current work speaks to the strong impact of global capitalism and its unprecedented demand for cheap labor. Sheelasha’s work centers on oral histories, myths, material culture, and ritual as sources of alternative narrative, presenting them as a counterpoint to mainstream history and knowledge systems. Sheelasha and Hit Man recently co-curated the Kathmandu Trienniale 2077 and the first Nepal Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale (2022). Listen to the episode here.

 Anoli Perera with hosts Pooja Kalita and Emily Hyatt

In this episode, the visual artist Anoli Perera spoke to Heritage as Placemaking hosts Dr. Pooja Kalita and Emily Hyatt about her artistic practice and its connections to practices of decolonial placemaking. Perera introduced the hosts to her working process, from an interest in the histories of materials and redefining craft to positioning her work along matrilineal cultures of memory. Throughout the episode, she took us through the way that her sculpture and installation works, including "I Let My Hair Loose: Protest series," "Dinner for Six," "Memory Keeper," and "Second Skin," explore myriad ways of making place.

Anoli Perera is an internationally acclaimed visual artist who at present works out of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and New Delhi, India. A recipient of numerous honors and awards, she has showcased her work all over the world. She works extensively with multimedia and her work repertoire consists of paintings, sculptor, installations and performances. Perera’s art creatively and self-consciously bridges the gap between the personal and the political and the local and the global. She often exposes the meaning of the political in its plurality, while bringing in aspects of her own personal life and weaving it into the larger issues that haunts South Asia in general—autocratic regimes with flawed paradigms of development and freedom that have been failing its citizens. Anoli Perera studied political science, economics and sociology at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, followed by a postgraduate diploma in international affairs. She lived in the US between 1988 – 1992 and took up art education programmes in California and at Princeton in New Jersey. She was also one of the founding members of the Theertha Association for Contemporary Sri Lankan Visual Artists in 2000. Listen to the episode here. 

Roma Chatterji
with host Sasanka Perera

In this episode we journeyed through Ramayana Renditions, Heritage, and Creative Forms of Storytelling in South Asia; particularly in India and Sri Lanka, along with host, HaP principal investigator, and chairperson of Colombo Institute, Dr. Sasanka Perera. From ancient texts to modern performances, Dr. Perera, speaking with Dr. Roma Chaterji, explored how the epic continues to inspire diverse artistic and cultural expressions. This conversation uncovered the living legacy of the Ramayana in shaping identities, narratives, and regional traditions.

Dr. Roma Chatterji retired as Professor of Sociology from Delhi University and is currently visiting professor at Shiv Nadar University. Apart from her abiding interest in folklore and folk culture, she has also worked on collective violence and illness narratives and has published extensively on all these subjects. Her current work is on picture storytelling, and she has explored several such forms ranging from the traditional arts of Bengal and Madhya Pradesh to popular superhero comics. Listen to the episode here. 

Ravi Kumar 
with host Sasanka Perera

As part of HaP's Decolonization strand, in this episode, host and HaP principal investigator, Dr. Sasanka Perera, spoke with Dr. Ravi Kumar about the relationship between, religious heritage, consumerism, and contemporary pilgrimage culture, especially during big religious festivals attracting huge numbers of pilgrims. One of the highlights of this discussion was Kumar's deliberation on the Kumbh Mela – ‘Reinventing religion beyond the spectacular consumption at Maha Kumbh Mela'. Kumbh Mela, as we know is a major Hindu pilgrimage and festival, known as the world's largest public gathering, held every 12 years at different locations along sacred riverbanks in India.

Dr. Ravi Kumar works as an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, South Asian University (New Delhi). He was also the Chairperson of the Department of Sociology and Associate Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences. He co-edits book series on `Social Movements, Dissent and Transformative Action’ (Routledge: Delhi); ‘Conversations on/for South Asia’ (Aakar Books); and ‘Sociology/Anthropology Across Borders’ (Primus: Delhi).  Listen to the episode here.

Jagath Weerasinghe
with host Pooja Kalita

In this thought-provoking episode of HaP's Decolonization strand, host and HaP research fellow, Pooja Kalita, sat down with distinguished heritage practitioner and artist – Prof. Jagath Weerasinghe to explore what “heritage” means in postcolonial South Asia, with a special focus on Sri Lanka. From unpacking colonial frameworks that shaped archaeological and heritage practices to discussing the challenges of decolonization, our guest reflected on how local communities play a vital role in transforming heritage from static objects into lived, meaningful places. We delved into his powerful public art projects and how creative expressions can help societies heal after conflict. A rich conversation for scholars, artists, and activists reimagining heritage from the ground up.

Prof. Jagath Weerasinghe is a renowned Sri Lankan artist, archaeologist, intellectual and cultural thinker whose work bridges contemporary art, memory, and heritage. His work spans several decades of invaluable contribution to Heritage Studies from the Global South. The term "90s Trend" was coined by him to describe a significant movement in Sri Lankan contemporary art during the 1990s, which marked a shift toward politically engaged, socially conscious, and emotionally charged artistic expression. As the founder of Theertha International Artists Collective and former Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, he has been a leading voice in reimagining heritage beyond colonial frameworks. His art and advocacy explore how places hold memory, and how heritage can become a space for healing,resistance, and transformation. Listen to the episode here.