Sentinels

Barefoot Gallery

Colombo, Sri Lanka

April 2025

Ed’s solo exhibition Sentinels, presented at Barefoot Gallery in April 2025, examined significant trees in Sri Lanka as enduring witnesses to history, culture and time.

Having observed many of these trees over several years, both in daily life and while travelling across the island, Ed considered their ecological and cultural roles and the histories they held within place and community.

Many of the species represented were themselves migrants, with complex journeys to Sri Lanka. The works were titled using Latin botanical names alongside Sinhala, Tamil and English names, acknowledging their layered cultural meanings.

Material reuse was central to the exhibition. Ed worked with recycled paper bags and repurposed tea sacks, incorporating charcoal, ink, stitching and mending to explore ideas of renewal, repair and feminist traditions of domestic making.

All Sentinels photography by

Malaka Premasiri