For thousands of years, the elephant has held enormous cultural significance for the inhabitants of the island of Sri Lanka. European colonial rule — under the Portuguese, the Dutch and then the British — significantly altered the balance between human and natural worlds on the island, including the human-elephant relationship. The British inaugurated a transformative onslaught on the natural environment alongside the introduction of capitalist economic relations to Sri Lanka. The clearing of vast swaths of rainforest in Sri Lanka’s central hills to make way for plantations, such as for tea, epitomises these interconnected colonial practices, the legacies of which continue to be felt today.

The present-day plight of elephants in Sri Lanka stands in sad contrast to their cheerful depictions in tourist merchandise and religious ceremonies. Despite ongoing conservation efforts and protection under the law, the Sri Lankan elephant population faces significant threat due to habitat loss and degradation, human-elephant conflict and poaching.

The story of the Sri Lankan elephant reflects the neocolonial tragedy that has befallen the country over the past few centuries as a result of destruction by European colonial civilisations and continued degradation at the hands of the

local ruling class under the auspices of neocolonial domination. This trajectory is common to many countries in the global south that are similarly inhabited by elephants.

Commissioned by Campbelltown Arts Centre. Supported by Creative Australia through Visual Arts Grants program, 2024.