A significant part of Pala Pothupitiye’s practice has been dedicated to manipulating and re-appropriating historical maps. He was drawn to studying maps after moving to Colombo and coming across them in English, and he gradually began seeking out old maps of the cities, ports and forts of Sri Lanka, including copies of maps in archives in Europe that were created during Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial periods. He sees such historical documents as tangible objects of colonial power, and draws a direct correlation of the colonial process of division and containment, separating local people from their land, and the devastating demarcation of lands on ethnic grounds that occurred in the subsequent Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009). Pothupitiye adds a number of recurring motifs; embellishes the muted colours and cartographic lines with colourful illustrations; and abstracts the lines that delineate hard boundaries of ownership.

Pothupitye also actively revives and draws attention to native Sri Lankan artistic practices through the Mullegama Arts Centre, which he established to advocate for new platforms for traditional artforms. Upon moving to Colombo, he was also struck by how ritual and traditional practices were relegated to ‘low art’ or ‘craft’ – and recognised this construct as yet another result of colonial Eurocentrism. On display during APT10 were costume pieces created with his father, who is a traditional maker of ornate costumes and objects for healing rituals. Exhibiting these together, Pothupitiye reclaims and decolonises aspects of history while seeking to foster new opportunities for Sri Lankan culture.