Janaka Herath is a Sri Lankan ceramist and educator in the Department of Ceramics at the University of the Visual & Performing Arts, Colombo. His practice explores environmental concerns through material experimentation and ceramic art.
Through ceramic sculpture, Herath depicts fish, coral, and other marine organisms whose forms appear engulfed by oil and contamination. Employing the raku firing technique, he creates crackled surfaces and darkened textures that evoke the aftermath of ecological destruction. The unpredictable nature of raku mirrors the fragility of marine environments facing ongoing environmental crises.