Dubai-based deaf artist shares his voice through paintings

Dubai-based deaf artist shares his voice through paintings

Dubai-based artist Roshan Perera, who is deaf, discovered at a young age that painting was a way to share his voice with the world.

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Speaking with Al Arabiya English through a sign language interpreter at the ‘Art in the Park’ exhibition on Friday, Perera described the joy he experiences from seeing people enjoy his work.

“People don't know that deaf people can paint,” he explained, “But now they say, ‘oh, that person did this?’ That makes me really happy.”

The 48-year-old from Sri Lanka spoke about the struggles of living with a hearing impairment.

“We feel more pressure. We want to excel in our field. The hearing people have all the opportunities, but for us it’s so hard. Who will take interest in us? That’s just reality.

“I’m happy that I’m able to do art and be able to express myself and send my voice to the people.”

Perera discovered painting at the age of 14 after teacher Peter Rogers inspired him to take up the brush.

He believes that his disability gives him a more finely-tuned sense of visual perception, and he uses it to his advantage.

“I’m visually good – I’ve always been