Cillín Johann Perera is an Australian photographer, entrepreneur and art collector who is best known for his "HomelessCEO" project. Between 2013 and 2017, Perera documented his travels by uploading a photo of every flight and each day on Instagram.[1] The project encompassed more than 1000 images from dozens of countries and hundreds of flights and has been the subject of a touring exhibition.[2]
Cillín Johann Perera | |
|---|---|
| Born | London |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Known for | Photography |
| Notable work | Homeless CEO |
| Website | instagram |
Perera is the chief executive officer (CEO) of companies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including Language Direct, an online language teaching company, and Avilinga, a company offering translation for the aviation industry.[3] He is a collector and patron of Australian Aboriginal art and is the founder of Australians for Overseas Representation.
Early life
editPerera was born in London to an Irish mother and a Sri Lankan father, and grew up in Melbourne, Australia. In 1994 he won the Young Achievement Australia "Young Victorian Business Person of the Year" award.[citation needed] In 1995, he went to the United States to study visual arts and cinema under scholarship at Harvard University.[1]
As a freshman, he started a non-profit company and a late-night show, Wide Awake with Cillin Perera.[4] In 1997, Perera was assistant director of Joshua Oppenheimer's The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase,[5] an experimental documentary that won several festival awards.[6]
After college Perera became self-employed, founding Language Direct, an online language teaching company, at the age of 27.[7]
Homeless CEO
editIn July 2013,[2] Perera started the "HomelessCEO" project, as a way to express the nomadic lifestyle of the modern CEO.[1][8] Not spending more than four or five days in any one place,[9] Perera took 168 flights and traveled more than 200,000 miles in 2014.[7]
As of February 2016, Perera has published more than 1000 images from dozens of countries and hundreds of flights.[2]
Technique
editHomelessCEO is shot entirely on Apple iPod and iPhone.[7][9] Perera's style puts a strong emphasis on composition and perspective, partly as a result of equipment limitations.[1] For flights, Perera frequently shoots the view from the passenger window; the project contains possibly the world's largest collection of "airplane porthole" shots.[3] Perera's other photographs show "haunting images of architecture, landscapes and urban settings mostly devoid of the human form."[2] He very rarely features people in his photos unless they contribute to the composition of the shot.[1]
Exhibitions
edit- July 2015: Dreamspace Gallery, London[10]
- February 2016: ACP Ventures, Singapore[citation needed]
- June–September 2016: AKH Contemporary, Vienna, Austria[citation needed]
- November 2017: Melbourne, Australia (tbd)[citation needed]
In an innovative[citation needed] pricing strategy, all Instagram-published photographs are printed as uniques, and priced at $1 per "like" as determined by their popularity on Instagram at the time of sale.
Other activities
editPerera was the founder of Switzerland-based Language Direct, an online language teaching company established in 2004, and the CEO of UAE-based Avilinga, a company offering translation for the aviation, industry established in 2010.[11] These companies have around 350 remote-working freelancers and clients on 5 continents.[3][7]
Perera is involved in the support of Australian Aboriginal art through his private collection as well as philanthropic activities in the field.[12][13][14]
Private life
editBefore embracing a nomadic lifestyle, Perera lived in Germany and Switzerland, where he had an apartment in Basel.[1] He has Australian, British and Irish passports,[7] and has been a resident of the UAE since 2012.[15]
His partner currently lives in Turin.[15] He has collections of classic British cars (including Rolls-Royce and Lotus), and Australian Aboriginal art.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Liz Durnan (27 March 2015). "The Rich Life of the Homeless CEO". Expedia. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Instagram Exhibition HomelessCEO". Adrem. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ a b c The Ten (24 February 2016). "The Ten with @homelessceo". Ollo Clip. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ Alexander D. Laskey (16 December 1996). "Late Night With Cillin". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ "Cillin Perera". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ "The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase (1998): Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Laura Traldi (5 March 2015). "Il businessman senzatetto" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ Phil Coomes (22 January 2015). "Instagram: The 'homeless' chief executive". BBC News. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ a b "The Homeless CEO". BBC World Service. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "Homeless CEO, 02 July – 31 July". London Architecture Diary. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ "About". cillin.net. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ "Aboriginal Australian art history gets the scholarship it deserves through the South Australian Museum". South Australian Museum. 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "Philanthropic money to fund Aboriginal art history". Australian Broadcasting Company. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "Documenting Aboriginal Art History". Community & Indigenous Radio. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ a b Karen Ann Monsy (22 November 2013). "The World's Their Oyster: Go out and explore". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 1 March 2016.