Born in Sri Lanka, Avi Ratnayake emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1994. He studied Fine Art at the University of the West of England, Bristol, before continuing his education in Photography at the City of Westminster College, London.

Ratnayake’s practice centres on the spaces in between—temporal, cultural, and material. His ongoing long-exposure project investigates the tension between the fleeting and the enduring. Working with analogue cameras, he creates solagraphs by exposing photographic paper for periods of up to four months. These images, shaped by light and the elements, document the persistence of landscape and time. Due to their inherent fragility and susceptibility to deterioration once removed from the camera, each work must be digitised to preserve the ephemeral image formed over months of exposure.

His recent work extends into infrared, cyanotypes and lensless photographic processes, exploring the intersections between historical photographic chemistry, digital imaging, and collage.

Active as an artist and photographer since 2003, Ratnayake has exhibited across the UK, Canada and Ireland. His work spans digital, analogue, and camera-less methodologies, consistently engaging with liminality—between cultures, mediums, and other disparate realms. Portraiture often provides an entry point into these inquiries. Ratnayake currently lives and works in Galway.