Saskia Fernando is a leading figure in Sri Lanka’s contemporary art scene, and one of the leading voices representing South Asian contemporary art globally today. The founder and director of her eponymous gallery – based in Colombo since 2009 – Fernando has been taking down stereotypes and making space locally and internationally for Sri Lankan art, representing a roster of both established and emerging names. Working in Sri Lanka has meant not only exhibiting art but shifting a mindset, and over the last two decades, Fernando has done just that, while forging relationships with fairs and institutions around the world, launching a digital gallery and artist residency programme. She’s also recently opened a second physical gallery space in Colombo, and has embarked on a new venture, KALĀ (taking its name from the Sanskrit for performing arts) a platform for South Asian art where local and diaspora voices can come together. We find out more about Fernando’s day to day, her vision, and what excites her about the Sri Lankan scene.