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W
ho’s afraid of artists? Myanmar’s military rulers, apparently.
Since the junta grabbed power in February 2021, many of the country’s artists have received death threats. The military has also targeted artists – from poets to film stars – for property confiscation, arrest, and incarceration. This has led to several artists fleeing Myanmar so that they could freely express themselves elsewhere.
But those who remain, by choice or circumstance, continue to forge art as a tool for expression.
The traditional Burmese performance art Thangyat, for instance, is currently experiencing a revival. Commonly seen during the Water Festival or Thingyan in April, Thangyat features performers singing and chanting folk verses in harmony. But while often humorous, these verses also incorporate social and political commentary, and critique governance issues and societal inequalities, including the mismanagement of rulers and unfair treatment of various segments of society.
Unsurprisingly, the junta banned Thangyat right after the coup. Yet even outside of Thingyan, Thangyat songs can be heard in Myanmar’s liberated areas and the diaspora communities overseas. Young people have continued to compose Thangyat songs, broadcasting them through social media, with some even doing in-person performances in Myanmar’s liberated areas. Many new Thingyan songs aim to ignite public awareness of resistance efforts, celebrate revolutionary progress, criticize current political figures, and inspire defiance against military rule.
“In our Thangyat compositions, we strive to be unbiased and truthful, critiquing political actors – including the NUG (National Unity Government, a body made up of respected political figures and legislators elected in the 2020 polls) – if they falter, but always with the intention to guide them toward better actions in the future,” says Thangyat artist Ni Ni. “Our satirical performances targeting the NUG have garnered significant public engagement.”
But she says that they also “highlight in our lyrics how the military is weakening and losing ground, emphasizing the hopefulness of our resistance to motivate and mobilize the people. With traditional music and lively performances filled with harmonious voices and choreography, we attract public attention.”

Powerful storytelling
Unlike other art forms, Thangyat specifically addresses the Myanmar public, who have embraced its messages.
Explains Ni Ni: “Myanmar people enjoy and support Thangyat songs because they are composed with genuine emotions and express what people truly want to convey. During live performances, audiences often laugh, clap, and cheer loudly to show their appreciation for the lyrics and performances. Thangyat is a highly engaging form of art unique to Myanmar.”
Other art forms have also been used as tools of Myanmar’s democracy advocates within the country and abroad. Says Kyaw, an artist who recently moved to the United States: “Art is a channel to tell the stories and in Myanmar Spring, art gives voices to the voiceless and makes these voices to be heard.”
The Postmodernist Artists’ group even held an arts exhibition in the Karenni liberated area, featuring paintings, installation art, and poetry readings. There was also a raffle to raise funds for the People’s Defence Force (PDF). According to its members, however, their main objective in turning into art destructive items from air strikes and pieces related to wounded soldiers was to keep people motivated to continue their work and remain resilient.
Ma Zar Ti, a researcher who studies art and resistance, explains that contemporary Myanmar artists are using their work to craft powerful narratives that resonate deeply with their audiences. These connections amplify the artists’ advocacy both domestically and internationally, and help drive political mobilization. Such works also keep international audiences engaged and more likely to support the civilian resistance in Myanmar against the military.
“One minute of their creation, one lyric of their song, one moment of gazing at their art can deeply move people, evoking a range of emotions such as motivation, sadness, fear, frustration, anger, and longing,” says a fundraiser based in Europe.

Risky filmmaking
Overseas, many Myanmar exiles choose to work on documentaries and films that not only raise public awareness but also funds for those in need back home. Some filmmakers have turned to animation to avoid the risk of making live performers the targets of the military. But there are others who stick to live action even if they have to resort to using non-professional actors in their films.
One such work is “Lose and Hope-Revolution Film,” which captures the resistance movement in Karenni State in eastern Myanmar. Released last May, it was screened a few weeks later in Chiang Mai, Thailand. According to those behind the film, it will be shown in other countries because the Karenni want other people to know what has been happening in their land.
“Lose and Hope” was shot on an active battlefield. Creating films like it is challenging and risky, as filmmakers inside Myanmar lay their lives on the line to capture footage, which they then send to colleagues abroad, who create the finished product.
One filmmaker recounts, “There was a moment when I thought I was dead as a heavy weapon exploded just meters in front of our truck. One of our crew members even got injured during the shoot.
“Creating art is never easy, especially in such dangerous conditions,” says the filmmaker. Yet he and other filmmakers believe the risk is worth it if their art can influence the community and remind people, both at home and abroad, of what the people of Myanmar are going through and not to “normalize” their suffering.
Many of those who see the films are getting the message. Ko Aung, who attended a London screening of “Broken Dreams,” a film anthology of Myanmar since the coup, says: “Despite the distance, I can still feel the lives of Myanmar people. I feel sad, angry, and happy at the same time. I feel sad to see many young people sacrificing their lives, betting their futures. But I am angry at the military’s brutality and how cruel they have become.
“However,” he says, “I am happy to see many younger generations committed to what they believe in, and it is our duty to support them in any way we can.”
Ma Aeint, a prominent documentary filmmaker, says that she has completed a documentary on defections from Myanmar military and plans to screen it publicly to encourage more defections and support for the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Three months after the coup, she was arrested and jailed for three years. She fled to Thailand after her release and resumed filmmaking.
Ma Aeint is planning a fundraiser for Myanmarese filmmakers who have been jailed. One of her closest colleagues, award-winning filmmaker Shin Daewe, remains behind bars, having been sentenced to life imprisonment; according to one report, she was tortured and injured during her arrest and interrogation.
Many other artists have been arrested or have been issued arrest warrants, with at least 54 creative artists detained between 2021 and 2022, according to PEN America.

A universal language
Visual art exhibitions – like photos, paintings, and sculptures – have also been instrumental in helping artists from Myanmar express themselves while advocating for freedom for their people.
Last May, New Burma, an ad-hoc community of loosely connected creatives from Myanmar, mounted in Bangkok the multimedia exhibition “When We See the Planes.” Aside from videos and a sound installation, the exhibition featured paintings, illustrations, collages, and photos showing the terror of military airstrikes on civilian targets.
One of those who saw the exhibition confessed to having left it in tears: not only were the works heart-rending, says the exhibition-goer, they also left viewers with a sense of guilt for “not doing more” for Myanmar. However, they also gave people renewed determination not to give up.
“Art is a language anyone can understand, a form of communication sent and received by the heart,” says Europe-based performance artist Ma Yadanar Win, who has continued her advocacy by collaborating with local artists in Germany, France, and Sweden. She overcomes language barriers by emphasizing strong visual elements, such as using the color red to represent political themes; one work shows balloons exploding, symbolizing deaths in Myanmar.
The stories of resistance fighters and the lives of those engaged in the struggle have also been put into music by singers and songwriters. Myanmar artists have been designing bags, accessories, shirts, and clothes with revolutionary messages for fundraising purposes, even as they become symbols of resistance, reminding people of the revolution whenever they are seen or worn.
Myanmar artists themselves are receiving both local and international support so that they can continue their work. In Mae Sot, Thailand, a shelter set up specifically for artists from Myanmar was established in June last year.
Headed by renowned exiled director Na Gyi, the shelter aims to create a safe space and provide support for members of Myanmar’s creative community who have gone into hiding and exile. These include filmmakers, writers, poets, painters, and musicians.
It also reconnects exiled artists with their fans in Myanmar, sending the important message that their creative spirit remains alive and able to inspire them to produce significant work.
The shelter also works with partner organizations not only in Thailand, but also in Taiwan, the United States, and Singapore, offering exceptional art-related merchandise to support both the artists and the shelter’s mission.
“Our freedom of expression through art cannot be taken away by the military regime,” says one artist currently residing in a border area. “We remain committed to depicting the lives of our oppressed people and those who resist. No matter where we are, our art will endure.”
“They can arrest and detain the artists,” says a documentary filmmaker. “But they can never silence the art or stop its power.” ◉