Dear Partners and Friends of SEA Junction,
As the anniversary of the Myanmar coup on 1 February 2022 approaches, this month activities are devoted to highlight the dramatic situation in the country. In addition to our regular #WhatsHappeninginMyanmar Bi-weekly Updates, we are hosting two exhibitions, as well as accompanying events. First, in collaboration with Asia Justice and Rights and Raise Three Fingers (Myanmar), an exhibition that chronicles the year’s key events through artworks from Myanmar and beyond and discusses the key role of art in the resistance movement will be held at the BACC. Second, our exhibition revealing the integral role of women in the movement held in last December will be revived this month, hosted at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, with a launch event featuring sounds, images, poetry and tastes of Myanmar.
More information of each event can be found below, where you can also read about our call for donations to support our small grants program “Staying Resilient Amid the Pandemic in Southeast Asia” to enhance community resilience in the midst of the new Omicron wave and faltering economies. Support is to supplement the budget for the next round of applications, which will be announced soon. We also continue to call for submissions of your experiences during the pandemic under the “From Fear to Resilience: Visual Storytelling of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia” special initiative.
We hope you will continue to find our program of interest. We count on your participation and help in sharing the information about our events with your network. And, if you would like to support us, please click on the donation box below as it will help us navigate these uncertain times.
Best regards,
Lia Sciortino Sumaryono
Founder and Executive Director, SEA Junction
EVENT PROGRAM
Exhibition “Defiant Art:
A Year of Resistance to the Myanmar Coup in Images”
18-30 January 2022, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
SEA Junction in collaboration with Art for Freedom (Myanmar), now known as Raise Three Fingers (RTF), and Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) is holding a creative exhibition. A series of 13 boards with text illustrated by artworks by artists from Myanmar and beyond, commemorating and contesting the key events in the course of the year, will be displayed on the curved wall on the 4th floor of the BACC. Together, the boards form a history in images of the evolving political situation in Myanmar highlighting the importance of art to raise awareness, chronicle what is happening and encourage resistance.
See further: http://seajunction.
19th #WhatsHappeninginMyanmar Bi-Weekly Updates
19 January 2022, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Born out the awareness that it is crucial to keep Myanmar on the public agenda in the midst of many other global worries, since the coup we have held bi-weekly updates. We are continuing the series with Debbie Stothard, an active promoter of human rights in Burma and the ASEAN region, continuing our collaboration with AJAR. The updates consisting of 20-minute analysis and 40-minute Q & A are moderated by our Founder and Director Rosalia Sciortino and are held via Zoom and livestreamed on our Facebook Page. To join via Zoom, just click on this link.
See further: http://seajunction.
Accompanying Exhibition Event “Defiant Art:
A Year of Resistance to the Myanmar Coup in Images”
22 January 2022, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Accompanying the exhibition “Defiant Art”, the event held at SEA Junction will discuss the role of art in democratic processes in Myanmar and beyond. Flute music will be performed at the beginning and end of the event and Burmese canapés by Miss Lunatics will also be served.
Accompanying Exhibition Event “Defiant Art:
A Year of Resistance to the Myanmar Coup in Images”
22 January 2022, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the coup in Myanmar, the Foreign Correspondence Club of Thailand (FCCT) is hosting the photo exhibition in partnership with SEA Junction. First displayed by SEA Junction and its partners at BACC in December 2021, the exhibition shows how widespread, diverse and empowering women leadership and participation has been and continue to be in opposition to the military junta. It combines photos taken by a dozen of young Burmese journalists who have been covering the protests from all around the country under the umbrella of The Myanmar Project Collective with photos collected by the member institutions of the Women’s League of Burma.
See further: http://seajunction.
Fundraising Night: Sounds, Images, Poetry and Tastes of Myanmar
22 January 2022, 4:30 pm – 6:35 pm
The FCCT is hosting a gathering of photographic, musical, literary and culinary talent in collaboration with SEA Junction. Join us for the launch of a photo exhibition “Women Out On the Streets For a New Burma” and readings by Ma Thida and Ko Ko Thett from a new anthology of protest poetry. We will be joined by the talented musicians of the Co-Culture Ensemble who will play traditional and modern Burmese music, and Miss Lunatics, chefs of the Myanmar Media Exile Hub, who will be serving their famous mohinga noodle soup and other offerings for reasonable prices.
See further: http://seajunction.
Southeast Asia Mini Book & Craft Fair
29-30 January 2022, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Once a month, SEA Junction holds a mini book and craft fair focusing on Southeast Asia. Besides small craft from the region, three kinds of books are displayed: (1) New books given in consignment from recognized publishers; (2) New and used books, double to those in our library; (3) Few literature and development-related works from outside the region that have been donated to SEA Junction. All funds raised with the fair contribute to SEA Junction’s functioning and activities.
See further: http://seajunction.
SPECIAL INITIATIVES
From Fear to Resilience:
Visual Storytelling of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia
With the current surges in COVID-19 infection across Southeast Asia, the fear of contracting the disease remains and is even escalated when the vaccine is in shortage and not accessible to many. Many also suffer from socio-economic hardship. At the same time, people are displaying strength in coping with the continuing uncertainties. SEA Junction invites all to make an effort to collectively provide a visual story of the pandemic in Southeast Asia that shows the worries as well as the resilience and hope in our experience. We are calling for short photo essays or illustrated art essays in any language of the region (to be later translated into English) or in English and shared on our platforms.
See further: http://seajunction.org/special-initiatives/
Small Grant Program
“Staying Resilient Amid the Pandemic in Southeast Asia”
This initiative launched by SEA Junction with a grant by China Medical Board (CMB) and with additional support of in WIEGO, INEB, JTS Korea, and individual donors aims to provide funds to build social capital, strengthen community resilience, improve the living and health conditions of local communities, and enhance their capacity to cope with the pandemic in Southeast Asia. For the second batch, 23 activities across Southeast Asia have been supported and are now being carried out. The applications for the next batch will be open soon next month.
For information please email southeastasiajunction@gmail.com and phone/wa: +66970024140
About SEA Junction, OUR Venue on Southeast Asia
SEA Junction 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 408 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium) SEA junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers.
Please join the Facebook group and page & follow us on Twitter and Instagram @seajunction
