Promising young professionals team up at Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka

Head of Operations  Malshani Delgahapitiya	Gallery Manager Thariq Thahireen

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka) is an education-led initiative that aims to establish the country’s first public museum dedicated to the display, research, collection, and conservation of Sri Lankan modern and contemporary art, for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public, schools, and tourists.

Since its launch in 2019, this freely accessible museum has opened four successful exhibitions and welcomed over 30,000 visitors. Mounting an entire exhibition and opening it to the public for several months is a mammoth undertaking, and it is a task that MMCA Sri Lanka Manager of Operations Malshani Delgahapitiya and Gallery Manager Thariq Thahireen are growing experts in. These two young professionals have shared their thoughts on their journeys at the MMCA Sri Lanka. Following are excerpts:

Q:What are the highlights of your time at the MMCA Sri Lanka?

Malshani: I have been involved in almost all the projects at the MMCA Sri Lanka in different capacities, but the highlights have to be the three exhibitions I’ve managed so far— ‘Encounters’ (2021), ‘The Foreigners (2022), and ‘88 Acres’ (2023). While all exhibitions have similar workflows, each of them presented its unique challenges. The production and curatorial teams run on adrenaline in the final week of production, and installation is always draining and a repetition of sleepless nights! It always amazes me on the Preview days that we manage to pull things together on time despite all the challenges.

Tariq: It has been a challenging but rewarding work experience because this position of being a Gallery Manager at a modern and contemporary art museum is a first in Sri Lanka. Working in the gallery means that I’m constantly interacting with visitors and the Visitor Educators of the museum. The weekly MMCA Afterschool sessions, which are for children aged 6 to 10 years, and all the other weekly public programs are always the highlight of my week!

Q:How have your responsibilities within the team evolved since joining?

Malshani: I joined the team as the Exhibition Projects Coordinator in 2021. I had previously worked as an arts manager– mainly on performing arts projects— and had some experience in archiving and collections management. However, I had no direct experience working at a museum or on exhibitions. During the first six months at the MMCA Sri Lanka, I took on project management and exhibition production tasks related to ‘Encounters’ (2021), and was in the deep end learning the ropes of the trade. 

Then I moved on to the role of Manager Operations, where I now look at overall institutional operations as well as project management.

Tariq: In addition to overseeing the security of the artwork and the high quality of the visitors’ experience at the museum, I am also managing the Visitor Educators where I ensure their wellbeing in a positive work environment. My responsibilities also currently include job training for them. We have at least two, and sometimes up to five, public programs taking place in the gallery weekly, and I oversee all the preparations for these.

Q: Why do you want to work at the MMCA Sri Lanka? 

Malshani: My observation is that strong arts and culture institutions in Sri Lanka are either highly commercial or have a high focus on international development, and that those which are artistically rich lack the institutional strength. In contrast, the MMCA Sri Lanka strives for a healthy balance to achieve a high quality in our work, which gives great work satisfaction. Another reason that I want to work at this museum, is that I just love the hands-on behind-the-scenes work we do. Art handling, collections management, or exhibition production may sound boring to others, but they are the most exciting things for me. It’s never a boring day when I get to dive into these tasks!

Tariq: Museology is one of my passions, and I’m honoured to be part of the Operations team at the MMCA Sri Lanka. We’re establishing a one-of-a-kind museum in Sri Lanka, and the team behind this endeavour are also exceptional people who make working here rewarding. The gallery at the museum is a place where I feel my best, and all challenges and any hard work is worth it!