Chester Cathedral became a Cathedral of Sanctuary in 2023 and, with the help of Cheshire West and Chester Council Sanctuary Funding, is developing its successful Artist in Residence programme to reflect its commitment to this cause, having appointed Kirushan Sivagnanam for 2025-2027.

Kirushan Sivagnanam (He/Him) is a visual artist originally from Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, now based in Liverpool. His work is grounded in lived experience, especially the personal and internal effects of displacement, transformation and the ongoing questioning of identity. These elements form the emotional and conceptual foundation of his creative process.

Kirushan works across performance and mixed media, guided by the relationship between body, memory, space, and material, not limiting himself to one fixed form. Instead, each work evolves in dialogue with its environment shaped by place, atmosphere, and emotion. His approach is deeply intuitive and process-led, prioritising presence and resonance over final product.