Patrick is a disabled Sinhala interdisciplinary artist who lives, works and plays on the Whadjuk region of the Noongar nation, disrupting white and settler knowledge systems across writing, visual media, performance and advocacy.
Being an artist on the margins, his work is informed by the legacies of resistance and solidarity set by People of Colour and disabled activists and artists around the world today and throughout history. He endeavours to democratise the arts through his practise, with particular emphasis on accessibility and First Nations sovereignty.
Patrick has presented theatre, live art, and poetry at Paper Mountain, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, The Blue Room Theatre, and Malthouse Theatre. He currently publishes articles and arts writing with Pelican and Seesaw magazines, has had poetry published in Voiceworks, Australian Poetry Journal, and the 2019 Centre for Stories anthology Wave After Wave: Writers from the Indian Ocean, and is a contributor to the upcoming Black Inc Books anthology Growing Up Disabled In Australia. He was a guest artist with Digital Writers Festival 2018, Perth Festival 2020’s Literature and Ideas weekend, and the upcoming Youth Week WA KickstART Festival 2020.
Patrick also works in systemic advocacy and lived experience public speaking in the areas of youth, mental health, LGBTIQA+ wellbeing, disability, and multicultural affairs. He is currently a speaker with Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network’s Shout Out program, and has presented on domestic violence and intersectionality at WA Mental Health Conference 2019, New Economy Network Australia’s 2019 annual conference, and a number of community and health sector events.
Photo: Zal Kanga-Parabia
