The artwork presented here is a video of a live performance where I am meditating while Mandala-like visuals are projected into me. In the video, the audience can see that as part of my meditation, I am making slow arm movements accompanied with different hand gestures. In Buddhism, these movements are called “Mudras”. Mudras are hand positions that evoke a particular state of mind when one is meditating. One of the Mudras showed in the video is called Dhyani: Where the back of the right-hand rests on the upturned palm, while the other hand remains elevated with the tips of the thumbs lightly touching. The top hand symbolises enlightenment; the bottom hand, the world of appearances. This Mudra evoques the supremacy of the enlightened mind. The Mudra is also very similar to the three-finger salute used during the peaceful protests of 2021, and which has come to symbolise Myanmar people’s hope for justice and peace following the on-going injustices carried out across the country.
The video also shows a black triangle where the eye of my mind is located. According to Science, the triangle is the strongest shape in nature. Since 2018, I have been using the triangle-shaped mirrors and objects as a symbol of strong feminine energy. At the centre of the black triangle, the audience can observe the symbol of the three-finger salute, which is the strongest defiance in the face of tyranny.
Throughout my performance the audience will hear the soundtrack of the protests from the streets of Yangon in February 2021. These sounds were recorded by another artist. He and I collaborated on this artwork to reflect on the energy of the peaceful protesters. My meditating hand-movements interact with the audio’s experimental improvisation.
In Buddhism, Dhamma means "cosmic law and order”. In other words, nature of things or nature of the universe. Adhamma is the opposite of it. This piece was inspired by these two forces: Dhamma is for cosmic law and order and Adhamma is for cosmic injustice and disorder. They also represent my 2021 journey: I was forced to flee after my home in Yangon was raided in May. I had to cross the border to Thailand with the help of human traffickers. My body has embodied complex emotions, such as grief, fear, anger and frustration. All of these emotions oscillate in this piece. Like many others who lost their homes and the loved ones because of Adhamma arrests, tortures and killings, I manifest there will be “No Metta For Adhamma Army” for eternity.
Dhamma will win in the end, I hope.
The artwork presented here is a video of a live performance where I am meditating while Mandala-like visuals are projected into me. In the video, the audience can see that as part of my meditation, I am making slow arm movements accompanied with different hand gestures. In Buddhism, these movements are called “Mudras”. Mudras are hand positions that evoke a particular state of mind when one is meditating. One of the Mudras showed in the video is called Dhyani: Where the back of the right-hand rests on the upturned palm, while the other hand remains elevated with the tips of the thumbs lightly touching. The top hand symbolises enlightenment; the bottom hand, the world of appearances. This Mudra evoques the supremacy of the enlightened mind. The Mudra is also very similar to the three-finger salute used during the peaceful protests of 2021, and which has come to symbolise Myanmar people’s hope for justice and peace following the on-going injustices carried out across the country.
The video also shows a black triangle where the eye of my mind is located. According to Science, the triangle is the strongest shape in nature. Since 2018, I have been using the triangle-shaped mirrors and objects as a symbol of strong feminine energy. At the centre of the black triangle, the audience can observe the symbol of the three-finger salute, which is the strongest defiance in the face of tyranny.
Throughout my performance the audience will hear the soundtrack of the protests from the streets of Yangon in February 2021. These sounds were recorded by another artist. He and I collaborated on this artwork to reflect on the energy of the peaceful protesters. My meditating hand-movements interact with the audio’s experimental improvisation.
In Buddhism, Dhamma means "cosmic law and order”. In other words, nature of things or nature of the universe. Adhamma is the opposite of it. This piece was inspired by these two forces: Dhamma is for cosmic law and order and Adhamma is for cosmic injustice and disorder. They also represent my 2021 journey: I was forced to flee after my home in Yangon was raided in May. I had to cross the border to Thailand with the help of human traffickers. My body has embodied complex emotions, such as grief, fear, anger and frustration. All of these emotions oscillate in this piece. Like many others who lost their homes and the loved ones because of Adhamma arrests, tortures and killings, I manifest there will be “No Metta For Adhamma Army” for eternity.
Dhamma will win in the end, I hope.
