Backpack 5 is from Jagath Weerasinghe's 2020 exhibition Backpack, Bombs and Borders. The artist created the work in response to the the Easter Attacks that occurred in Sri Lanka while he was in Los Angeles.

Weerasinghe began a smaller series of work on paper and installation in response to news of the attacks. He later continued the series during his residency at Davidson College, North Carolina where he created works on butcher paper. The artist draws parallels between mundane objects/materials and violence; an evolution of this form of narrative and hidden ironies are continuously present in his work.