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Dr Visakesa Chandrasekaram

Dr Visakesa Chandrasekaram

Senior Lecturer

PhD, ANU

LLM, ANU

MA, English Literature, Macquarie University

MA, Mass Communication, University of Sri Jayewardenepura

LLB, University of Colombo

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Law & Justice
School of Law, Society & Criminology

Visakesa is an interdisciplinary researcher and practitioner, working in the areas of law, justice, human rights, and creative arts. In Sri Lanka, Visakesa worked as a human rights lawyer. Later, he worked in the community legal centre sector in Australia, applying arts-based methods to deliver community legal education to culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people with intellectual disabilities. Visakesa also worked in several NSW Government Departments including the Department of Justice and the NSW Police Force as a diversity and inclusion practitioner. In 2018, he joined the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, to work as a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law. He was a Creative Fellow at Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre and ANU Humanities Research Centre in 2024. Visakesa has written several works of fiction and stage play scripts. He has directed three feature films: ‘Frangipani’ (2014); ‘Paangshu’ (2019); and ‘Munnel’ (2023). He has also developed the film-essay ‘Journey’ (2024) to present studies and stories of Sri Lanka’s state-sponsored violence during the conflict and post-conflict times.

E-mail
c.visakesa@unsw.edu.au
Location
Room 364 Level 3, Law Building ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Law & Justice ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ SYDNEY 2052
  • Books | 2025
    Visakesa V, 2025, An interdisciplinary study on the use of confessionary evidence in Sri Lanka [2016] Amsterdam University Press.,
  • Book Chapters | 2021
    Visakesa V, 2021, ''There is more to bullying and harassment; Examining workplace violence within the context of fundamental rights jurisdiction of Sri Lanka'', in Law in defence of human integrity [2021] University of Colombo.
  • Journal articles | 2024
    Visakesa V, 2024, ''Adopting Community Law Centre model to deliver Clinical Legal Education'', UGC Law Journal, Vol 1, 2024.
    Journal articles | 2024
    Visakesa V, 2024, 'Aragalaya: Sri Lanka’s ‘Occupy’ moment, plural political enactments, and the end of the Rajapaksas'', Australasian Drama Studies,
    Journal articles | 2022
    Visakesa V, 2022, ''Respectful conduct in public school community in Sri Lanka: Exploring the policy and program framework'', International Journal of Governance and Public Policy Analysis, 2021, 03, 01.,
    Journal articles | 2020
    Visakesa V, 2020, 'Constitutionally Recognised "Other": The Fundamental Rights of LGBTI People in Sri Lanka'', Sri Lanka Journal of International Law, 2020 JIL 28, 117.,
    Journal articles | 2010
    Chandrasekaram V, 2010, 'The Art of Human Rights Education: Applying Community Cultural Development Methods in Human Rights Education', Political Crossroads, 17, pp. 37 - 49,
  • Recorded / Rendered Creative Works | 2025
    Visakesa V, 2025, Munnel, a feature narrative film, 102 min [2023], Published: 20 May 2025, Duration: 01:40:00, Recorded / Rendered Creative Works,
    Recorded / Rendered Creative Works | 2024
    Visakesa V, 2024, Journey, a film-essay, 65 min [2024], Published: 01 June 2024, Duration: 01:05:00, Recorded / Rendered Creative Works,
    Curatorial Outputs | 2023
    Visakesa V, 2023, Now you must bear witness, a video art installation [2023], exhibited at: Jaffna, Sri Lanka, 15 December 2023 - 17 December 2023
    Conference Presentations | 2022
    Visakesa V, 2022, 'Adopting a community lawyering model for clinical legal education in Sri Lanka’s state-run law schools', presented at 2022 GAJE-IJCLE-SAULCA Worldwide Conference, Stellenbosch, South Africa., 11 December 2022 - 15 December 2022
    Conference Presentations | 2022
    Visakesa V, 2022, 'Bee & the Butterfly; the metamorphosis of the queer protagonist in Sri Lankan Cinema', presented at Nation-building and the creation of a ‘New Community’ in contemporary Sri Lankan art, TU Dresden, Germany., 09 March 2022 - 11 March 2022
    Reports | 2022
    Visakesa V, 2022, Creative Equity Toolkits: Authored four Sri Lankan community-arts based case studies, 2022, Diversity Arts Australia
    Reports | 2020
    Visakesa V, 2020, Whole school culture fostering social cohesion in Sri Lanka [2020] The British Council
    Recorded / Rendered Creative Works | 2019
    Visakesa V, 2019, Paangshu; a feature narrative film, 85 min [2018], Published: 01 September 2019, Recorded / Rendered Creative Works,
    Reports | 2016
    Visakesa V, 2016, One Confession, Two Confessors: A forensic Linguistic analysis of Confessions Submitted in the High Court Cases of Nallarathnam Singarasa and Sellapulle Mahendran [2016] ICES,
    Conference Presentations | 2014
    Visakesa V, 2014, 'Accidental HR Manager; there is more to hiring and firing', presented at 2014 National Community Legal Centres Conference, Alice Springs, Australia, 12 August 2014 - 15 August 2014
    Recorded / Rendered Creative Works | 2014
    Visakesa V, 2014, Frangipani a feature narrative film, 90 min [2014], Published: 30 January 2014, Duration: 01:30:00, Recorded / Rendered Creative Works,
    Creative Written Works | 2013
    Visakesa V, 2013, The King and the Assassin, a fiction [2014], Ravaya Publication, Sri Lanka
    Creative Written Works | 2011
    Visakesa V, 2011, Tigers Don’t Confess, a fiction [2012]
    Conference Presentations | 2010
    Visakesa V, 2010, 'Drama & Dance for Human Rights; Applying arts in human rights education', presented at 2010 International Conference on Human Rights Education, Sydney, Australia, 04 November 2010 - 06 November 2010
    Conference Presentations | 2004
    Visakesa V, 2004, 'Community legal education through forum theatre', presented at 2004 National Community Legal Centres Conference, Adelaide, Australia., 29 August 2004 - 04 September 2024
    Conference Presentations | 2004
    Visakesa V, 2004, 'Theatre for community legal education and conflict resolution education', presented at 2003 Performance Studies International Conference, Singapore, 15 June 2004 - 18 June 2004
    Conference Presentations | 2003
    Visakesa V, 2003, 'Human rights education through community cultural development programs', presented at 2003 National Community Legal Centres Conference, Hobart, Australia, 31 August 2003 - 03 September 2003

  • Gender Justice and Security GCRF HubÌýGrant for an applied arts project, using film and theatre-based innovative research methods (co-author).Ìý
  • Law Society & Trust (Sri Lanka) grant to offer 15 documentary filmmaker fellowships on justice theme, targeting law undergraduates of government universities of Sri Lanka.Ìý
  • Right to Life (Sri Lanka) grant to develop the documentary film titled '32' onÌýthe endemic nature of torture in police custody in Sri Lanka. ÌýÌý
  • NSW Office of Women grant to deliver a traditional classical dance-based community education program on prevention of family violence, targeting South Asian communities in Western and South Western Sydney areas.
  • NSW Law & Justice Foundation grant to develop and deliver a forum theatre-based community legal education program targeting migrant and refugee communities in South West Sydney areas.Ìý

  • Tiger Jury Award of 2023 International Film Festival of Rotterdam forÌýMunnelÌýfeature filmÌý
  • Best Film Award of 2023 Imagine India Film Festival forÌýMunnelÌýfeature film
  • Special Jury Award of 2019 Religions Today International Film Festival forÌýPaangshuÌýfeature film
  • Best Film (Humane category) of Indus Valley International Film Festival forÌýPaangshuÌýfeature film
  • Best International Film Award of 2015 Rio LGBT Film Festival forÌýFrangipaniÌýfeature film
  • Lester James Peiris Award for the Debut Filmmaker forÌýFrangipaniÌýfeature film
  • Shortlisted for 2015 Fairway Literary Award forÌýThe King and the AssassinÌý(a fiction)
  • NSW Premier’s Violence against Women Award of 2005 forÌýSongs of Anklets, a traditional classical dance-based education program on preventing violence against women in Western Sydney
  • Gratiean Prize 1999 forÌýForbidden Area, a playscript

Visakesa uses traditional research/publication methodologies as well as artistic methods, including creative writing, performance arts, and filmmaking, to present his works to academic and non-academic audiences. His key research interests include confessional evidence, especially under counter-terrorism laws; innovative research methodologies, especially applying storytelling, theatre, and film-based methods in research; and the interface of human rights and criminal justice systems, with a special focus on criminalising consensual sex between adult LGBT+ people and criminalizing artistic expression.