Art Exhibit - Tamil Community

Tamil Collection

The Burning of the Jaffna Public LibrarySource: Tamil Web Archives

Once one of Asia’s largest libraries, the Jaffna Public Library housed over 95,000 rare Tamil palm-leaf manuscripts, parchments, books, and newspapers. On June 1, 1981, it was deliberately set ablaze by a mob reportedly supported by Sri Lankan state actors. The burning stands as one of the most violent acts of ethnically motivated biblioclasm in the 20th century, symbolizing a targeted erasure of Tamil culture and knowledge.

Captured and ExecutedSource: Tamil Web Archives

A photograph showing a young Tamil rebel after capture and execution by the Sri Lankan armed forces during the final stages of the civil war. It speaks to the systematic extrajudicial killings that marked this period.

Mass ExecutionSource: Channel 4 Video Footage

This frame captures a group of captured Tamil rebels shortly before execution. Among them, 19-year-old Shalini Gunalingam, who was gang raped and killed alongside fellow detainees. The image stands as testimony to the brutality and sexual violence committed against Tamil prisoners during May 2009.

Isaipriya and Shalini: Rape, Torture, and MurderSource: Channel 4 Video Footage

Shoba Dharmaraja, known as Isaipriya, was a Tamil journalist and television anchor for the LTTE. Alongside Shalini Gunalingam, she was captured by the Sri Lankan military, then raped, tortured, and murdered. Footage of these crimes was authenticated by international observers, including the UN and Amnesty International. This piece confronts the gendered violence and media suppression experienced during the war.

Manik Farm & Point-Blank ExecutionSources: The Hindu File Photo; Channel 4

Manik Farm was the largest displacement camp during the final phase of Sri Lanka’s civil war, at one point confining over 300,000 Tamils behind barbed wire and under strict military control. Barred to media, it became a symbol of mass internment and human rights abuse. The adjacent image of a Tamil rebel executed at point-blank range further reveals the systemic violations that occurred both inside and outside the camp.