SomoS Arts presents The Frame, a solo exhibition featuring installation, painting, sculpture, and performance made by Mandalay-based Myanmar visual artist Suu Myint Thein during his sojourn in Berlin as an artist-at-risk resident supported by the Goethe Institute Myanmar and SomoS. Representing a poetic plea to overcome what sets us apart, the presented works are united by the theme of oppression, war, colonial legacies, environmental damage and exploitation, symbolized by the motif of “the frame.”

The artist traces how frames and their boundaries shape our views, relations and self-image as he constructs an elevated way to look at Myanmar’s fractured situation.

In Suu Myint Thein’s view, it doesn’t matter how we frame things; the frame still serves as a field fence in our mind. As he states, “Everything could be free and peaceful in the open fields where boundaries are not set. But it becomes suffocating where the edges get narrower and narrower.”

Indeed, the call for peace and free expression is an essential motif in Thein’s work, which is tightly linked to the struggle for human rights in his country Myanmar. The military takeover of Myanmar on 1 February 2021 shocked the world as the country was going through a democratic transition since 2011, accompanied by mass discontentment, outbursts, and violent conflicts. As a result, many parts of the country have become war zones because of ongoing fighting, with the number of refugees and internally displaced persons increasing.

Thein vividly presents his country’s struggle in his art: addressing issues such as the different interests in exploiting the land, the rampant extraction of underground treasures, the forced changing of ways of life, and the oppression of the people.

“Our country has lost democracy; the authoritarian military regime, as well as the armed conflicts of various ethnic groups in the region, are intermingled all over the place.” the artist elucidates. “Today, there is very little connection between art and the outside world. We are people who want to create liberating arts. While most of the surrounding artists are trying to prevent their art from being swallowed up, I am still creating art that responds to injustice and oppression.”

In his performance I am paddy, presented during the opening reception on November 15^th, 2022, 6-9 pm, Thein explores how the frame of identity, tradition, and way of life is made porous by external forces. In I am paddy, Thein employs ricefields as a metaphor for existential stability, thematizing the cultural and environmental harm caused by urbanization, gentrification, war, and mining. He poignantly demonstrates the geological, societal, and cultural erosion caused by exploitative and oppressive forces.

Working in such a politically engaged and poetic way across various disciplines, Suu Myint Thein allows us invaluable insight into the current situation in Myanmar.

About Suu Myint Thein:

Suu Myint Thein (born in Hopin, Kachin State in 1970) is an artist based in Mandalay, Myanmar, whose work involves sculpture, painting, educating, curating, and performing. His work has an essential link to his country and city, often calling for peace and free artistic expression. After finishing his painting and sculpture studies at Fine Art School in Mandalay, Suu was the head tutor of the sculpture department at the State School of Fine Art and the founder of Alin DaGar Art School. Suu has participated in numerous local groups’ shows on painting, sculpture, installation, and performance. He’s fostered and encouraged fellow local and international artists through education and the curation of numerous exhibitions. He is passionate about his performance art which often takes place in the public realm, breaking the boundaries between art, life, and political consciousness for his audiences.

Details

The Frame – Solo Exhibition by Suu Myint Thein

Opening reception: Tuesday, November 15^th 2022, 6-9 pm, with performance I am paddy by Suu Myint Thein.

Duration: Wednesday, November 16^th – Saturday, November 26^th 2022, 2-7 pm, and by appointment. Free entry.

SomoS Arts – Kottbusser Damm 95, 1.0G, 10967, Berlin
Public transport: U8 – Schönleinstraße

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Suu Myint Thein’s residency is supported by the Goethe Institute Myanmar.

This post is also available in: German