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POST COLONIAL IDENTITY
As a resident artist with the Artists’ Safe Haven initiative, Minal Naomi presents Post-Colonial Identity, her first solo exhibition in the Netherlands. Through painting, drawing, textiles, murals, and poetry, the show deconstructs how identity has been shaped in
Sri Lanka by colonial rule and the ongoing tensions between majority and minority communities. It invites the viewer on both a personal and historical journey — exploring the colonial gaze, gendered power, and the intersectional realities of belonging in a multicultural society.
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ROOTS
Agampa is the name of the woman in this image. I stumbled across her image hanging in the centre of a living room, with much pride of place. When I inquired about her life and who she was, there wasn't much information recorded. She was the great, great grandmother of a friend, who had passed away young and was originally from Jaffna, a town in the North of my island.
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I did this image of her standing like a great tree, as I had imagined her in the living room. Her roots slightly hazy and blending into the background.
IDENTITY
This project came to life after coming across post-colonial images of interesting characters across our history in my country. The richness of the characters is a nod towards the culturally diverse and colourful history of my island. This comes at a time when majoritarianism and the politics of hate have turned against my island, which some believe belongs only to a select few. The characters I have chosen illustrate how culturally diverse my island has always been.
TAMBI
Poet. Editor, Drunk
MINETTE
Architect, feminist, trail-blazer
TAMIL WOMAN, CEYLON
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