T. Vinoja
Homecoming 3, 2024
Fabric, needle work on fabric, thread and acrylic colour
11 3/4 x 16 1/2 in
29.7 x 42 cm
29.7 x 42 cm
Homecoming 3 reflects a memory from the final day of the Sri Lankan civil war in Mullivaikal. It focuses on a damaged bus that became a temporary refuge for people...
Homecoming 3 reflects a memory from the final day of the Sri Lankan civil war in Mullivaikal. It focuses on a damaged bus that became a temporary refuge for people with disabilities and war injuries. As fighting intensified, many civilians tried to escape, but those inside and beneath the bus were trapped, unable to move. The landscape was a war zone, and the bus—meant to offer shelter—became a tragic site when a bomb exploded nearby. Most of the people inside were killed. Vinoja witnessed this scene and was deeply affected by the helplessness and suffering of those who could not escape. The work takes direct reference from that incident and the Mullivaikal landscape. Abstract elements like red dots symbolize shattered bodies and the trauma etched into the land. It reflects on those who became collateral damage, especially the forgotten and disabled victims of war, and serves as a remembrance of the violence that unfolded in those final hours.