Powerful exhibit in London documents Myanmar military’s attempt to crush a protest movement

Powerful exhibit in London documents Myanmar military’s attempt to crush a protest movement

A groundbreaking exhibit from a prominent collective of Myanmar artists showcasing creative forms of protest deployed against the Myanmar military since the 2021 coup will open in London next week, supported by Amnesty International.

The exhibit, “To Kill a Movement”, uses photography, video, found objects, clothing, installation and music to narrate, expose and document five years of brutal military rule in Myanmar in which more than 7,000 civilians have been killed and tens of thousands arrested.

It features striking images from the front lines of Myanmar’s armed conflict, several exhibited for the first time in the UK. The photographers, some of whom are still living inside Myanmar, have captured pivotal moments since the military coup on 1 February 2021, from the bands of teachers who united to kick off the demonstrations to the young students forced to study in jungle schools to avoid military air strikes.

Among the items on display will be a handwritten poem by Burmese poet K Za Win, who was killed on 3 March 2021 during a mass demonstration in central Myanmar, but whose words have lived on to inspire an entire movement. The outfit that K Za Win often wore while attending protests will also be exhibited as a living memorial and reminder of the sacrifices paid by Myanmar protesters.

“With this exhibit, we hope to tell a story about how Myanmar’s protest history has been attacked, besieged and trampled upon but somehow survives and continues to evolve in different and intensely creative ways,” said Sai, the co-curator of the exhibit and the co-founder of the Myanmar Peace Museum. “It is a testament to the spirit of the Myanmar people, who more than five years after the coup have refused to give up.”

Amnesty International has campaigned for Sai’s father, the former Chief Minister of Shan State, Linn Htut, who was detained during the 2021 coup and remains behind bars, even after the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for his immediate release.

As human rights defenders and artists, both Sai and his wife K, who do not use their full names for security reasons, fled Myanmar following the military coup, then had to flee Thailand after facing scrutiny from Thai and Chinese authorities following an exhibit in Bangkok, a case that drew international headlines.

This exhibit will be the Myanmar Peace Museum’s first new project since fleeing Thailand, and as a result speaks to both Sai’s and K’s resilience as artists conducting work while also trying to build new lives for themselves.

“Sai and his partner K are not just artists, they are survivors. Sai and K are not simply telling Myanmar’s story of protest. They are living it. In a way, their lives and their work speak for all the Myanmar people whose lives have been upended by the 2021 coup, but who are determined to resist in whatever way they are able to,” said Joe Freeman, the Myanmar Researcher at Amnesty International.

“To Kill a Movement” runs from 23 May through 31 May at Hoxton Arches in Shoreditch, London. To register to attend a talk by Sai, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard and Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive Officer Kerry Moscogiuri on the evening of 28 May, please follow this link.