The Squares presents a new series from the artists’ ongoing project, Thousand Pieces of White (begun 2009), a reflective body of work that delves into three decades of personal and political history in Myanmar. Drawing from old Burmese magazines that were censored under the country’s authoritarian rule, Tun Win Aung and Wah Nu transform these once-restricted materials into minimalist abstractions. Pages featuring silver and black redactions have been repurposed into large-scale bichromatic paintings, where layers of censorship are given new life as striking visual compositions. These works not only resurrect the remnants of the past but also challenge the viewer to contemplate the complex relationship between memory, history, and erasure.
Another highlight of the exhibition is the inclusion of the restored 1973 film Tender are the Feet (Ché Phawa Daw Nu Nu), by acclaimed Burmese director Maung Wunna. The artists have intervened in the film to address missing censored scenes, creating a palimpsestic work that reflects the fragmentation of Myanmar’s cultural history. This artistic intervention highlights the impermanence and manipulation of memory, while also paying homage to the film’s significance in Burmese cinematic history.
Curated by Louis Ho, The Squares offers a poignant micro-history of Myanmar’s recent past, exploring how censorship has shaped not just political discourse but also the visual language of its citizens. The exhibition serves as both a remembrance and a reinterpretation of the material traces of that era, providing audiences with a deeply evocative and thought-provoking experience.
Kindly download the e-catalogue HERE
