Rajni Perera draws from ancient myth, speculative fiction, pop culture, and scientific research to build imaginative cosmologies that examine culture, power, and possibility. Negative Space 23was included in her debut solo exhibition Dhum Lokaya (Smoke World), which explored the intersections of myth, science, and transformation.

The work reimagines a traditional Sri Lankan jewelry as a symbol of presence, resistance, and collective power. The cosmic motif on the figure refers to the mythological concept that every individual contains a universe inside their self. Painted on transparent mesh, part of Perera’s mosquito-net series, it reflects her interest in thresholds, veils between worlds, and making the unseen visible, creating a space where memory, mythology, and alternate futures converge.