Vishwa Pathum
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Pronouns: He/him/they/them
Artforms
Theatre / Musical theatre / Folk dance / Contemporary dance / Performance art / Poetry / Storytelling / Local Traditional Dance Performances
Topic Areas
Sexuality / Gender / Education / Shelter / Biodiversity / Poverty / Feminism
Change-Making Skills
Public speaking / Storytelling / Facilitation / Social media communication / Grassroots mobilisation / Leadership development / Emotional intelligence / Grant writing / Event planning / Volunteer coordination
About
I am a Sri Lankan nonbinary queer performing artist, educator, facilitator, and activist. I work as a Facilitator/Educator at Independent Collective School in Colombo, facilitating German (A1/A2), Drama, Mindfulness & Creative Therapy, Nonviolent Conflict Resolution, Primary Maths, basic French, Sinhala, and History. I am also the Founder and Executive Director of Youth Pride, the first queer youth-led organization in Sri Lanka, working on SRHRJ, SOGIESC, SDGs, mental wellbeing, Chemsex & Harm Reduction, and youth advocacy. As one of the few openly nonbinary young performing artists in Sri Lanka, I use performance and storytelling as tools for activism and healing. I organized “Varna,” one of Sri Lanka’s first queer art exhibitions during Pride, curate queer-friendly community spaces, and received the Rainbow Art Festival Best Activist & Voice Raiser Award.
Project Goals for the next 6-12 Months
Over the next 6–12 months, I want to expand my work internationally through collaborations that connect performance art, education, queer activism, mental wellbeing, and climate and social justice conversations. I am especially interested in interdisciplinary projects involving community storytelling, creative therapy, youth engagement, sound and performance, public art, and cultural organizing. I hope to develop larger artistic productions, community-centered workshops, queer cultural spaces, and regional/international partnerships that amplify marginalized voices from South Asia. I also want to continue building sustainable queer-friendly creative spaces in Sri Lanka through exhibitions, performances, nightlife initiatives, and youth-led community projects that promote dignity, wellbeing, and collective care.
