On Thursday, August 25th, 2022, we here at Insight Myanmar learned that the accomplished artist and longtime activist, Htein Lin, was arrested again, along with his wife, Vicki Bowman; their fourteen-year-old daughter is reportedly safe.
We had only just recently interviewed him and had not even finished producing the audio or written portions yet, so hearing this news was doubly shocking. Due the urgency of his situation, we have worked to release this as soon as possible. We believe this may have been the last interview Htein Lin gave before his freedom was so abruptly taken away. Like other interviews throughout his storied career, his courage and conviction resound through this talk.
Htein Lin’s impressive resumé includes four pages that list his group and solo art exhibitions, installations, and performances around the world; these include La Biennale di Venezia in Italy, the Singapore Art Museum, the Mori Museum and National Art Center in Tokyo and the World Bank Organization in Washington, DC. His works can be found in private collections in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, India, Sweden, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Beijing, the US and the UK. Recent popular pieces include: Soap Blocked, Skirting the Issue, and A Show of Hands, a well-received series of plaster casts of the raised hands of former political prisoners in Myanmar.
