We are all poster-makers!

“We are all poster-makers, and through them we all attest to the unrest in our souls and our will to dignity.”

Anish Kapoor, The Art of Protest, 2019.

Sri Lanka has a vibrant social media culture of memes and artwork with sharp political and social commentary. The #GoHomeGota22 movement has generated its own images and slogans, which give expression to some of the ideas and emotions which are informing and motivating the peoples’ struggle unfolding at this moment. Here is a collection of some compelling images curated by Polity magazine in solidarity with those on the streets today. We have tried to acknowledge the creators, but some remain unknown to us. We will be grateful to receive information about whom or how to credit these images at polity@ssalanka.org. Polity also invites artists to share memes/ posters via the above email to add to this archive.

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Credits

1. Unknown
2. Translation: In the dark … (‘Karuva le’ is a play on the earlier nationalist slogan ‘Sinha le’, denoting ‘blood of the lion’, eulogising the Sinhalese) Credit: Unknown
3. Gayan De Silva (@de_gayan on Instagram)
4. Unknown
5. Unknown. Taken from Twitter
6. Unknown
7. Translation: All this effort to protect a dog! Credit: Unknown / photo: Tharaka Basnayake
8. Prathiba (@smudgedlines_ on Twitter)
9. Janindu de Zoysa (@janindudezoysa on Twitter)
10. Unknown
11. Safiya Sideek (@artistsafiya.s on Instagram)
12. Translation: No bread, no cake Credit: Nipuna Kodithuwakku (@nipkodithuwakku on Instagram)
13. Translation: Is it good now? Shall we go home? Credit: @art.and_jelly from Instagram
14. Niwanthi Weerathunga (@niwanthi5art on Instagram)
15. project_de_marco on Instagram
16. Gamika Premarathne (@gamikapremarathne on Instagram)
17. Nuwan Shilpa (@nuwanshilpa on Instagram)
18. Nuwan Shilpa (@nuwanshilpa on Instagram)
19. Ruwangi Amarasinghe (@roobixcube on Instagram)
20. Sarinda Abeynaike (@_brush_it_off on Instagram)