Sri Lankan photographer Tashiya de Mel awarded a Visura Grant

Visura in partnership with The Current, a center for contemporary art, is delighted to announce Sri Lankan documentary photographer Tashiya de Mel as the fifth recipient of the Visura Grant for Visual Journalists. 

De Mel will receive a $2000 cash prize to continue working on "Great Sandy River'', a visual exploration of the paradox of hydropower. This project focuses on the Mahaweli River, the longest and most revered river in Sri Lanka and aims to shed light on the hidden cost of renewables by highlighting their ecological and social impacts. The project seeks to focus on lesser-known and under-reported aspects to unpack the downstream consequences and cleaner energy solutions in ways that have not been attempted before.

This grant is an opportunity for up to 5 Visura members who identify as visual artists, journalists, and/or storytellers working on self-funded long-term projects. The theme for this grant was focused on visual stories about climate change, environmental justice, gender equality, racial justice, and human rights.  

Tashiya de Mel is a documentary photographer, communications specialist and environmental advocate, who uses her combined knowledge of visual storytelling and conservation to create narratives that drive social change and highlight impacts of the environmental and climate crisis.

She grew up around the urban wetlands of Colombo, Sri Lanka and spent much of her early adulthood exploring the remote corners of this Island. These experiences set in motion an ongoing love affair with the wildness of this world and desire to re-connect people to it. 

De Mel is the founder of 'Lost in Ceylon', a platform for adventures, storytelling, and activism. Through her work she hopes to create awareness, mobilise support, and inspire action.

In 2022, The Current and Visura partnered in an effort to enhance the human experience through the visual arts. Together, the art center and media tech startup awarded an annual residency, announced the recipients of this year’s 2022 Visura Grant for Visual Journalists, and collaborated in a group exhibition. The partnership was in part also made possible with the support of an anonymous donor, who in 2022 made a generous contribution to The Current.

Former winners include: 

M'hammed Kilito

Júlia Pontés

Giacomo d'Orlando

Mahé Elipe

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Visura

Visura is a global platform for visual storytellers. The membership platform is a destination for publishers to license visual content directly from freelancers, and a home for visual storytellers to access business tools to showcase and sell editorial, creative and commercial images directly to publishers, businesses and visual content buyers.

The Current

The Current is a center for  contemporary art in Stowe, Vermont. We have progressive programming that balances challenging critical and thematic exhibitions with community events. We are free to the public, offer a wide range of public programs associated with our exhibitions, and have a robust education department.