Unpeace in the Land: Art and War in Sri Lanka, c. 1930–2020

Through a close study of visual art in multiple media (drawing, painting, collage, architecture, film, photography, and site-specific installation), this project explores two periods of “unpeace,” Colombo-born art historian Ananda K. Coomaraswamy’s term for states between war and peace in Lankan history: the years before and after the Second World War and independence from British rule in 1948 and the first decades of decolonization, and the years before and after a twenty-six-year civil war that officially concluded in 2009. Both periods yielded artistic innovation and show how the end of war is elusive. This project engages the trope of “postwar” art, discusses the afterlives of empire, and proposes new ways for understanding the aesthetics and politics of remembrance, recovery, and reconstruction in postcolonial societies.

Research partners will conduct bibliographic and collections research in area libraries, museums, and other archives; manage image files and captions; and review and provide feedback on drafts. Partners will gain art historical skills and firsthand experience with manuscript preparation and learn about art and politics in the global south across the long 20th century. A background in art history or South Asian studies is desirable but not required. Knowledge of Tamil or Sinhala would be advantageous.