Art Exhibition A Myanmar Odyssey: 4 Years of Fight and Displacement

The exhibition, featuring the work of Myanmar artist Shwe Wutt Hmon, is born out of solidarity with the people of Myanmar that has been fighting for democracy since the coup d’état led by General Min Aung Hlaing on 1 February 2021. Within a matter of days, youths and older people from all walks of life began to pour onto the streets in outrage and protest against the military. Since then, for almost four years now, the population has been demanding the restoration of democracy and the release of the imprisoned leaders and all other political prisoners in spite of the military’s use of lethal force. Amidst the failure of the international community to respond and take action, people are not giving up, continuing their support for the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) in exile. Many young people have taken up arms and joined the armed struggle as a last recourse against dictatorship, with many counting on the armed resistance by the People Defence Force and the Ethnic Armies gaining ground to eventually win the revolution.

Their resistance has come at a heavy price. As of November 2024, 5,973 people have been confirmed killed by the junta and a total of 27,694 people have been arrested, with 21,137 currently detained and 170 people have been sentenced to death. 577 children have been arrested and 660 children killed (AAPP). The number of displaced people in the country and across borders is over 3 million and growing as young people leave the country to escape from forced conscription in the army.

SEA Junction presents this fourth commemorative art exhibition as part of its commitment to raise awareness of the Myanmar coup crisis among the general public through art. This year, the focus of the exhibition is on the coup’s aftermath as an “odyssey”, to signify the long and perilous journey in challenging the dictatorship as well as the patriarchal norms at its core, and also the displacement of people from Myanmar within and outside the country. The art photographer, Shwe Wutt Hmon expresses these intersecting messages through three artwork series in mixed media that together provide a multi-faceted image of the still enduring odyssey as the fight for a New Myanmar continues, as briefly described below:

Forever Young (2021-2022)

Shwe Wutt Hmon’s “Forever Young” twin sets of photo-collage portraits of Gen Z protesters is dedicated to Myanmar’s forgotten youths. Their lives and dreams have been shattered but they remain extraordinarily dedicated and committed to saving their country from military dictatorship. Awash in red, the faces of protesters in the two sets of 21 pieces each (one on a white and one on a black background) are remarkably absent. Their real identities are hidden in discomforting chaos, in some instances obscured by delicate spring flowers, in others by guns and bullets. The series documents the festering rage that has found a new outlet in the linguistic, cultural, and stylistic idiosyncrasies of the nation’s Gen Z.

Portraits of the Anonymous

Like in the quote adapted from a line of writer Virginia Woolf “For most of history, anonymous was a woman”, women who were among the crowds of photographers who documented the military coup remain invisible and anonymous to these days. This portrait series aims to highlight these lens-based practitioners, from photographers and filmmakers to photojournalists and artists who covered the 2021 coup d’état. Against the background of coup-wise images, shot by the each participating artist herself, these women are portrayed in their professional postures, along with their testimonies. “Portraits of the Anonymous” speaks about a collective history of women artists who were parts of the Burmese spring revolution, vividly memorialising their struggles, strengths, labours, and contributions.

Permission to Stay (2022-2024)

The artist left Myanmar after the military coup and eventually relocated to Chiang Mai in November 2021, where she tried to build a new life in exile, struggling to find stability and a sense of belonging. This mixed-media self-portrait series explores the themes of migration and displacement. Printed and manually intervened, outlined and colour filled on Saa paper, a traditional Northern Thailand material, the series narrates the artist’s journey with a mix of chaos, humour, and self-sarcasm. The series of 10 artworks captures the intersections of the artist’s identity as a Myanmar passport holder—one of the least protected and most discriminated statuses globally—her migration to Thailand, and her life in limbo.  While acknowledging her privileged position compared to war refugees and stateless persons, the artist exposes the emotional and financial toll of living in constant transition. This reflection on the burdens of displacement and the resilience needed to sail life as a migrant, offer a deeply personal yet collectively resonant perspective of contemporary experiences.

Artist Profile

Shwe Wutt Hmon is a Burmese photographer and mixed media artist. She was part of the protest against the Junta’s coup that overthrew their democratic government in the Spring of 2021. She developed ‘Forever Young’ and ‘Portraits of the Anonymous’ over the course of the Spring Revolution. Shwe’s poetically inclined repertoire often includes intimate, contemplative images shot within private, enclosed spaces. Since Shwe moved to Chiang Mai in November 2022, she has become interested in experimenting with printing these scanner-generated self-portrait images on Saa Paper.

SEA Junction presents this fourth commemorative art exhibition as part of its commitment to raise awareness of the Myanmar coup crisis among the general public through art. This year, the focus of the exhibition is on the coup’s aftermath as an “odyssey”, to signify the long and perilous journey in challenging the dictatorship as well as the patriarchal norms at its core, and also the displacement of people from Myanmar within and outside the country. The art photographer, Shwe Wutt Hmon expresses these intersecting messages through three artwork series in mixed media that together provide a multi-faceted image of the still enduring odyssey as the fight for a New Myanmar continues, as briefly described below:

For more information, please email: info@seajunction.org or phone/wa: +66970024140

NB: The exhibition is free, but donations are welcome to support SEA Junction activities.

Organizers

SEA Junction

SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organisation Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions, from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information, see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on Twitter (X), Bluesky and Instagram @seajunction

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