Protests in Monochrome: In Conversation with Tavish Gunasena

Sri Lanka recently underwent a political and economic crisis resulting from persistent corruption and the failure of long-standing systems. The Rajapaksa regime, which presided over the nation for more than a decade, failed to secure the “vistas of prosperity” they had promised. From 15 March to 14 November 2022, citizen-led groups took to the streets to voice their grievances and engage in peaceful public protests. They requested the immediate resignations of (then) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the new climate of social, political and economic upheaval, the media approach to coverage was as concerning as it was insufficient. Local media outlets referred to the protests as “agitation”. One even compared it to a “beach party”, trivialising the struggles of those on the streets demanding justice. Most of the mainstream international media, however, largely ignored the Colombo protests until an outbreak of pro-government violence took place on 9 May 2022, as illustrated in this piece from the New York Times. This approach sought to highlight isolated incidents of violence, despite the protests being largely peaceful. In contrast to this, local photographers on the ground had been covering everyday scenes of protest, casting a more nuanced gaze on the subject. 

Tavish Gunasena, a photographer from Colombo, began recording the Aragalaya (a Sinhala word that loosely translates to “struggle”) movement in March 2022. In this conversation, Gunasena discusses his use of monochrome and the need to widely share records of the protests. Gunasena’s approach to documenting the protests became especially important as accessible, conscientious and responsible media coverage around the crisis in Sri Lanka remained limited. 

(Featured image: A peaceful protest disrupted by the police at Galle Road. Photograph by Tavish Gunasena. Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9 May 2022.)

This conversation was recorded on 6 June 2022.

To learn about other forms of art and activism in Sri Lanka, listen to Minal Naomi Wickrematunge and Tashiya de Mel speak about their respective practices.

All images courtesy of the artist.