22022021, Yawnghwe Office in Exile

2021 - Sculpture (Sculpture)

95.89 x 73.66 cm

Sawangwongse Yawnghwe

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22022021, Yawnghwe Office in Exile by Sawangwongse Yawnghwe belongs to a body of work made in response to the Myanmar military coup that began in February 2021. The work employs traditional Burmese textiles, which have been employed by protesters harnessing the power of old Myanmar lore. It is said that women’s bodies and the garments that cover them sap men of their power. In protests of the military coup, activists have embraced this superstition and hung women’s undergarments and longyis (long skirts) on clotheslines across streets to deter soldiers from entering protest zones. Many soldiers, unwilling to harm their chances on the frontlines, refuse to pass underneath the colorful fabrics. By including these textiles, the artist is not only indexing the protest events, but referencing the nature of oppression, and the role fear plays in power struggles. The work is a cultural tableau, bearing witness to the continuing military suppression of the democracy movement. Through this work, Yawnghwe also emphasizes his position as a Burmese artist and activist living in Europe, one who has the ability to make visible the ongoing struggle of Burma’s people to a broader network through his practice.

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Sawangwongse Yawnghwe comes from the Yawnghwe royal family of Shan. His grandfather, Sao Shwe Thaik, was the first president of the Union of Burma (1948–1962) after the country gained independence from Britain in 1948. Shwe Thaik died in prison following the 1962 military coup by General Ne Win. Afterward, Yawnghwe’s family was driven into exile in Thailand, then later escaping to Canada, where Yawnghwe grew up. Yawnghwe’s painting and installation practice engages politics with reference to his family history as well as current and historical events in his country. Family photographs provide the basis for a pictorial language through which the artist calls attention to events in Myanmar, suggesting that existing archives cannot reveal a nation’s entire truth. In addition, Yawnghwe’s map works chart the conflicts between opioids, revolutionary armies, minority ethnicities, mining and gas pipelines, the armament of generals, as well as state genocide against its minorities. Yawnghwe’s work intends to bring discernible order to a complex political situation.

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Colors:

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• military.n.01
• coup_d'etat.n.01
• geopolitics.n.01
• struggle.n.01
• power.n.01
• activism.n.01