Dear Partners and Friends of SEA Junction,
April initiated with the launch of a moving and impressive exhibition “Trails of Absence & Symbols of Presence: Loss and Protest in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution” combining work by artist Sai and award-winning photographer Ta Mwe on the multiple impacts of the 3-year-old coup in Myanmar. In parallel, Chuu Wai’s exhibition “Thread Under Threat: Portraits of Indomitable Myanmar Women” will conclude its tour of Thailand in a city’s mall as part of BACC Pop Art so as to reach a larger public and raise awareness of the current conditions in Mynmar. and the strength of women as a symbol of resilience of the people of Myanmar. To this public education effort, contribute also the monthly updates and panel discussions in collaboration with the Mahidol Migration Center (MMC) with full detail to be announced soon. .
On a different topic, we will host the launch of the book ASEAN Queer Imaginings (Volume 2), detailing the effort of regional activism by queer activists throughout Southeast Asia. We also continue with our monthly Southeast Asia Mini Book and Craft Fair with the double purpose of spreading knowledge and raise funds for our foundation.
Besides these public events, we also have special initiatives. We are announcing this second year call for the small grants program, “Staying Resilient Amidst Multiple Crises in Southeast Asia”, supported by the CMB Foundation to strengthen the crisis response of marginal communities in Southeast Asia. Moreover, we continue to call, together with ILO, for photo stories of daily lives of overseas migrants in the fishing and seafood industry of Thailand and Indonesia by migrants themselves.
This month is full of celebrations with Eid Mubarak (Idul Fitri) ending the fasting in Muslim communities across the region and New Year festivities in most of Mainland Southeast Asia. In the same spirit, let us wish you all peace, health and happiness. Also please note that our office will be closed on 13-15 April to celebrate Thai’s Songkran.
Best regards,
Lia Sciortino Sumaryono
Founder and Executive Director, SEA Junction
EVENT PROGRAM
Exhibition “Trails of Absence & Symbols of Presence: Loss & Protest in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution”
Exhibition: 2 – 21 April 2024, on Curved Wall, 4th floor, BACC
Organized and curated by SEA Junction, the exhibition “Trails of Absence & Symbols of Presence: Loss & Protest in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution” is held on 2 – 21 April 2024 at the Curved Wall, 4th Floor of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). The exhibition consists of two series of artworks by two Myanmar artists: “Trails of Absence” by multi-disciplinary artist Sai (pseudonym) calls attention, with fabric installations, to the fate of political prisoners after the February 2021 coup, while “Symbols of Presence” by photographer Ta Mwe (pseudonym) features portraits of people with tattoos symbolizing the Myanmar’s Spring Revolution.
Exhibition “Thread Under Threat: Portraits of Indomitable Myanmar Women”
5 April to 6 May 2024, 10 am – 8 pm, BACC pop•up, Gallery 1 at MMAD, 3rd floor, MunMun Srinakarin.
Well-known Myanmar artist Chuu Wai’s solo exhibition is born out of solidarity with the opposition movement in Myanmar that has been fighting for democracy since the coup d’état led by General Min Aung Hlaing on 1 February 2021. It resonates with the resilience of the people of Myanmar, especially the women among them.
This exhibition ends the tour in Thailand started on the anniversary of the coup in Bangkok on the curved wall, 4th floor of BACC and continued in Chiang Mai with the opening for International Women’s Day before concluding at MMAD a new art space at the Seacon Square mall with the hope that more people will admire the power of these women’s portraits.
See further: https://seajunction.
Southeast Asia Mini Book and Craft Fair
20-21 April 2024, 11 am – 7 pm, SEA Junction, 4th floor, BACC
Once a month, SEA Junction holds a mini book and craft fair focusing on Southeast Asia. At the fair, we offer small crafts from the region along with many books, including new books from recognized publishers, second-hand books double to those in our library, and development-related books from outside the region that have been donated to SEA Junction. We have also a collection of books in French and in Italian. All funds raised at the fair contribute to SEA Junction’s functioning and activities.
See further: http://seajunction.
40th #WhatsHappeninginMyanmar Updates
26 April 2024 at 4-5 pm (BKK Time) on Zoom & FB Live
This update series was started soon after the coup d’état in Myanmar with the aim of contributing to a greater understanding of the crisis situation there for informed action in support of the democratic movement in the country and beyond. With media support by Mizzima, we will continue to introduce this session with speaker Toe Zaw Latt a senior journalist from Myanmar, who will provide us the update from media perspective. The update aims to contribute to a greater understanding of the crisis situation in Myanmar for informed action in support of the democratic movement in the country and beyond. It is meant to be short informal dialogues with a speaker who provides an analysis of the latest events in the preceding two weeks for about 20 minutes before the moderator, SEA Junction’s Founder and Director Rosalia Sciortino, opens the floor for questions and answers.
See further: http://seajunction.
Launch of the bilingual event ASEAN Queer Imaginings Volume 2
Saturday, 27th April 2024, 6:00 – 7:00 pm at SEA-Junction, 4th floor, Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC)
On 27th April, 6-7 pm, ASEAN SOGIE CAUCUS, in collaboration with SEA-Junction, and Non-Binary Thailand, will hold the launch of the ASEAN Queer Imaginings Volume 2 at SEA Junction. ASEAN Queer Imaginings Volume 2 is a collection of thought leadership articles, artwork, and poems from queer activists from across Southeast Asia. By gathering the writings of Queer activists throughout the region, the book explores LGBTQIAN+ issues and the practices of advocacy and promises to contribute to meaningful discussions in our community. The event will be in Thai and English with simultaneous interpretation.
See further: http://seajunction.
Panel Discussion on Myanmar
First day: 24 April 2024, SEA Junction, 4th floor, BACC
Second day: 30 April 2024, SEA Junction, 4th floor, BACC
The details will be announced soon.
SPECIAL INITIATIVES
Call for proposals: Small Grants Program (Part 2) “Staying Resilient Amidst Multiple Crises in Southeast Asia”
In Southeast Asia as in other regions, the pandemic has exposed deep social and health inequities across countries and people and shown the multi-dimensional and interlinked aspects of marginalization. The precarious architecture of unbalanced systems – unconcerned with sustainable development, resilience, and equity – is tumbling down in a cascade of “synchronous failures” that disproportionately affect those on the margins of our societies. Among the many simultaneous critical issues about and beyond the pandemic are conflict situations foremost the military coup and its violent aftermath in Myanmar, environmental disasters, displacement and forced mobility, cyber scamming industry and human trafficking, gender exploitation and economic deprivation.
To strengthen resilience of marginal communities in Southeast Asia, SEA Junction will continue for three more years the small-grant program launched in 2020 with support from CMB Foundation and other individual and institutional donors. Initially with a focus on resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is now expanded to cover multiple complex crises. Small grants for an average of USD 2,500 are to be awarded to efforts by groups and individuals to foster resilience amidst any or a combination of the interlocked crises such as health, political, socioeconomic and/or environmental crises. Preventive and preparedness initiatives will also be considered. Last year, we supported 26 projects from 7 Southeast Asia countries – Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia – and Bangladesh covering various themes including climate change, human rights violations, migration, nutrition, reproductive health, and education. This year, we welcome proposals that highlight crisis from different perspectives, encompassing human rights, climate change, education, health care, mobility, trafficking, development, economy, and democracy, among others.
See further on how to apply: http://seajunction.org/
[OPEN CALL] Take a Picture, Tell Your Story: A Migrant View of Thailand’s Fishing and Seafood Industry
This open call for photo stories is directed at migrants from Cambodia, Myanmar, and other countries in Southeast Asia working in the fishing and seafood processing industry in Thailand and we plan a follow-up call for Indonesian sea-fearers abroad. Observers and experts often report the significant challenges faced by migrant workers in this industry due to the prevalence of exploitative working conditions and societal discrimination, but we rarely hear their voices and their stories of how they experience their migration and cope with those challenges.
This project organized by SEA Junction with support of the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia initiative funded by the European Union aims to offer a platform for migrant workers to share their stories and express their perspectives both about their work and their daily lives so as to enhance the visibility and understanding of their experiences.
(https://www.ohchr.org/en/
See further: http://seajunction.
For information please email southeastasiajunction@
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