The Collective
There is no art without artists. Shall We Cactus proudly promotes Sri Lankan artists and designers.
Introducing the members of The Collective.
Dileesha Sigera - Studio Nice One
Dileesha is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator who loves bringing life to beautiful Sri Lankan landscapes through her illustrations and has a special keenness for colour and typography. Outside of her interests like doodling and reading, she also has a somewhat unhealthy infatuation with ramen.
Akila Weerasinghe - Studio Nice One
Sri Lankan-born, Oman-raised Akila has always been in love with art. His mother still has laminated childhood drawings as proof. However he always viewed it as a creative pastime and not a career pathway. So after school, he set off to Dubai to do a business management degree.
After graduating (and spending a year at home just drawing) he started working in the Sri Lankan corporate world, while moonlighting as a designer. After two years, he left the corporate world to pursue design full-time. He worked at a local magazine publisher as a designer and illustrator, where he developed an interest in editorial illustrations. After a year and a half, having exhausted the learning potential in the space, he was looking for a new opportunity in the brand design space. This led him to Studio Nice One.
Likes: video games, hip hop/R&B music, binge-watching Seinfeld for the nth time
Dislikes: tardiness
Hafiya Moulana - Studio Nice One
Hafiya Moulana has a passion for creating design concepts, as well as a thirst for branding, illustration, conceptual art, visual identity and apparel design. A Fashion Design and Marketing graduate, she got her start as a Graphic Designer creating super fun illustrations for Studio Nice One as an intern and grew into a permanent studio member after graduating. She enjoys undertaking visual research, looking at new trends in the fashion industry and endless scrolling on behance and dribble. When she's not working on studio projects, you can find her roaming around the mall, scrolling through fashion tiktoks, taking pictures of random aesthetics and scrolling on Pinterest making multiple pin boards.
Imesh Sandaruwan - Studio Nice One
Imesh Sandaruwan has had a passion for design since he was quite young. He was always fascinated with creating digital art and experimenting with various forms of media.
As he entered his teenage years, he began to focus more on brand design; he started off by designing logos for his close friends. With this experience under his belt, he began freelancing as a brand designer and was able to work on a set of small but great projects.
While freelancing was a valuable experience, Imesh yearned for a more hands-on approach to designing and launching brands. This desire motivated him to apply for a position at Studio Nice One.
Imesh also has a growing interest in 3D modelling; specifically 3D character design. As of recently he has also been exploring the intersection of fashion and 3D, with 3D garment creation.
Likes: over the top action movies, Lo-Fi music
Hates: Staying up late
Amy Quickfall - Studio Nice One
Hailing from the colder climate of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, Amy left in 2016 to teach design at a design university in Colombo, Sri Lanka. With a background in fashion design, branding, illustration and graphic design, upon seeing the abundance of design talent in Sri Lanka, she left teaching to set up Studio Nice One in 2018 to cater to Sri Lanka's ever-growing export, apparel and tourism industries. She is passionate about nurturing design talent, and has a playful design style that takes inspiration from the tropical island she calls home. When she's not designing, you can find her Djing disco and funky house.
Safiya Sideek
Safiya Sideek is a visual artist whose work mostly relates to nature and her environment. Safiya graduated from the Canadian University of Dubai in 2014 with a Bachelors of Architecture. Her experience in the Design field gave her the footing to launch her own line of handmade art products for the everyday creative, Elements by Safiya. When Safiya is not working, she is spending time with her 5 year old as she balances her life as a working mother.
Deeandra Bulner
Deeandra Bulner is a versatile multi-tasker of art & design. She holds a HND in fashion and textile design, a Diploma in Child Psychology and is currently studying Art Therapy & Counselling. Apart from working as a designer, illustrator and social media manager, Deeandra is also the founder of 'minnie', her own brand of handmade, ethical accessories. In her spare time, she can be found avoiding people, doodling and binging on true crime documentaries.
Kitty Ritig
Kitty Ritig is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Acceptance and home, yearning for intimacy and comfort, are recurring themes in her work. She explores the dynamic between the audience and the work by objectifying emotions and investigates the duality that develops through different interpretations using new media such as social media art and Augmented Reality art. She holds a Master's Degree in Fine Arts and works as a Lecturer of Fine Arts and a facilitator for creative workshops.
Aadhitya Jayaseelan
Architect turned full-time Artist and entrepreneur, Aadhitya Jayaseelan combines art with healing and shares her work through her own brand, Kayamai. Challenging ideologies one illustration at a time, Aadhi’s creations represent the power of turning emotions into work that embodies unconditional love, healing and empowerment. As an entrepreneur, she values every opportunity given to share her heart, from painting, facilitating expressive art workshops, pop-ups and sharing her studio with other like-minded creatives to find value and to be able to thrive in a safe community. While creating is what drives her, she enjoys spending her weekends teaching young budding artists to take on the world with a palette and a brush.
Prathiba Hewakuruppu
Prathiba is a Freelance Graphic Designer and an Artist who spends her spare time caring for animals and baking cakes. She has always found joy in making art and loves creating artwork that evokes a feeling of happiness, nostalgia and longing for a slow, relaxed life. In the future she hopes to build a little cottage/art studio in a forest and be the fully fledged recluse she was born to be.
Nethmi Mahanayaka
Nethmi, a freelance artist, finds solace in creating art that evokes happiness and nostalgia. From childhood, she felt drawn to expressing her imagination through art and now channels her passion into creating authentic and heartfelt works. Inspired by nature and simple joys, Nethmi aims to evoke warmth and contentment in her viewers. She hopes to fully immerse herself in her art, continuing to remind us to cherish the beauty of everyday life and the magic of creativity.
Be an Artist of The Collective
If you would like to have your art and designs considered for the Shall We Cactus collection, enquire now