In the series Menagerie I r e-envision a museum diorama of animals, staging it in a dystopic urban environment, where animal
species roam the crumbling remains of deserted scenes extracted from the gentrification of Colombo city. The work draws parallels between processes of extinction and loss of habitat and processes of urbanization, gentrification and evictions of peoples from their traditional homes. Essentially connecting these two processes situating both the urban masses and the endangered wildlife as common oppressed, victims of a global capitalist/neoliberal agenda. The scenes are imagined in abandoned spaces, cleared of people and within sites of heritage architecture documented by the artist over the past three years and slated to be torn down in the process of making way for Colombo’s post-war urban development program. They highlight the fragility of neglected heritage sites, and critique the insensitive, one-size-fits-all violence of Colombo’s desire to become a ‘World Class City’.