Brief Description
As the anniversary of the coup on 1 February 2022 approached, SEA Junction in collaboration with Art for Freedom (Myanmar), now known as Raise Three Fingers (RTF), and Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) held a creative exhibition from 18 January to 13 February 2022 in solidarity with the uprising movement in Myanmar. A series of 13 boards with artworks by artists from Myanmar and beyond, commemorating and contesting the key events in the course of the year, was displayed on the curved wall on the 4th floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC). Together, the boards formed a history in images of the evolving political situation in Myanmar—economic and social impacts have also been huge, but are not the focus of the exhibition—highlighting the importance of art to raise awareness, chronicle what has been happening and encourage resistance.
The boards were adapted, enriched and updated from an exhibition and fundraising event held in London last August. The artworks were from the archives of Art for Freedom as well as from the many that have been circulating on social media, including posters and memes. Whenever possible, the artist has been recognized, but we remain grateful to the many who cannot be named for security reasons or who we were not able to identify. The variety and number of artworks was impressive, testifying to the creative power the resistance to the coup has unleashed, but due to limited time and space we could not include all those we admired. We do hope you will search further for artworks in other venues and, most importantly, feel motivated to support the cause of what has become a global artists’ movement.
Photo by Lattapol Jirapathomsakul and Rosalia Sciortino
