COLOMBO : The Wasteland – Coastal Communities on the Precipice & Sea of Change – Climate Justice project with Kalpitiya’s youth and an exhibition at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery by Dr Gil Mualem-Doron [UK] and We Are Kommune [Sri Lanka]
Lionel Wendt Art Centre, Colombo
6-16 March 2026
Ocean pollution in Sri Lanka has reached critical levels, posing an urgent threat to marine ecosystems and the coastal communities that depend upon them. The accumulation of plastic debris, chemical runoff, and untreated sewage is disrupting fragile coral reefs, degrading marine biodiversity, and endangering vital fishing industries. For many coastal families, whose livelihoods are intrinsically tied to the sea, declining fish stocks and contaminated waters are not abstract environmental concerns but daily realities that lead to food insecurity and economic instability.
Pollution also affects Sri Lanka’s beaches, which have long been celebrated as key drivers of tourism and local income. As shorelines deteriorate, so too does the delicate balance between environmental sustainability and human well-being. The crisis underscores the profound interconnectedness among ocean health, social equity, and economic resilience, demanding urgent collective action.
Responding to this escalating emergency, artist, photographer, and researcher Dr Gil Mualem-Doron [UK 1970], who was invited byDilsiri Welikala, an artist and founder of ‘We Are Kommune and Kite surfing Lanka’, to collaborate with local schoolchildren in Kalpitiya to create a powerful, multi-layered interdisciplinary art project. Together, they collected plastic waste from Kalpitiya’s beaches and transformed it into a striking series of wearable sculptures. These reclaimed materials became the foundation for a provocative “trashy” fashion shoot and an original dance-music performance.
The performance’s lyrics draw inspiration from the historic speech delivered by Severn Cullis-Suzuki at just 12 years old during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 – a call to environmental responsibility that continues to resonate across generations.
The dance performance and costumes will premiere at the opening of the exhibition The Wasteland – Coastal Communities on the Precipice on 6 March at 18:30 at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre, Colombo.
Through art, collaboration, and community engagement, The Wasteland confronts the escalating environmental crisis while amplifying the voices of young people standing at the frontline of climate and ecological change.
Sea of Change is part of the Inter Municipality Partnership Project between the Town Councils of Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka and Charlottenburg Wilmersdorff Berlin Germany. It was supported by the Chalk Cliff Trust, Sussex, UK, Kitesurfing Lanka, and We Are Kommune – Kalpitiya. The project was inspired by the short film The Monster Dilsiri Welikala, an artist and founder of We Are Kommune and Kitesurfing Lanka.
