Through an examination of the experiences of political cartoonists and film-makers, this study maps mechanisms by which political censorship is exercised on creative artists in Sri Lanka. This includes official forms of censorship such as the Public Performances Board and the emergency era censorship of the press but also the instrumentalization of state institutions to execute extra-legal and subterranean (O’Higgins) forms of censorship. It also examines informal censorship, ranging from friendly collegial censorship to outright physical attacks from unidentifiable members of the public. The study concludes with a reflection on the consequences of a long-standing culture of censorship and self-censorship on historicity and the future of free expression in artistic communities.