MIMI (Michelle Milesi) is a Sri Lankan artist based in Dakar since 2019. Largely self-taught, with formative study at Wibavi Fine Art Studio in Sri Lanka, her practice is shaped by long-term engagement with artists, cultural projects, and community initiatives.

In Senegal, she founded ART BOX, an art studio and gallery platform dedicated to education, workshops, and exhibitions, fostering exchange between local and international artists while making art accessible to wider audiences. Active in the Dakar art scene since 2020, she has participated in numerous group exhibitions and is proud to take part in the Dakar Women’s Group Art Show for the sixth consecutive year.

Working across watercolour, acrylic, oil, collage, and large-scale murals, MIMI explores shared human narratives. For the DWG Art Show 2026, themed Rhythm(s) of Senegal, she presents works with textured surfaces and entirely hand-painted miniature figures set within expansive abstract spaces, drawing inspiration from Senegalese daily life and its vibrant colour palette.

At first glance, the figures are almost invisible; on closer viewing, they reveal themselves as jewelsof detail and care, quietly transforming the vast abstract landscapes they inhabit.