Taking those close to her as subjects, photographer Shwe Wutt Hmon offers snapshots of a section of Burmese society from viewpoints such as those of care and feminism. Her homeland of Myanmar has experienced great upheaval since 2020, a military coup coming on top of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid growing social instability, the impact on Shwe Wutt Hmon and her family has also been significant. Most obviously, her youngest sister, artist Kyi Kyi Thar, now suffers from Schizophrenia. On display here are works made jointly by Shwe Wutt Hmon and Kyi Kyi Thar in this environment.

On the wall are black and white photos of family and familiar scenes taken by Shwe Wutt Hmon, plus some other photo prints on which her sister has painted color. In the center are colorful snapshots taken by Kyi Kyi Thar, following in her sisterʼs footsteps. All are the product of an intimate trust between the two women that has resulted in some highly creative photo and painting sessions. As well as serving as testament to the current sense of hopelessness and helplessness in Burmese society, the works also inevitably show a side of the sistersʼ own and private lives, and are exquisitely atmospheric.

Shwe Wutt Hmon presents works as a photographer while serving as a researcher for UN agencies and non-government organizations. She received Singaporeʼs Objectifs Documentary Award (Open Category) in 2020 and the Julius Bär Next Generation Art Prize in 2021. Her works have been exhibited in art spaces and festivals in Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Switzerland, and elsewhere.

Selected Works & Awards

2022

A Bell Rings Across The Valley, Roslyn Smorgon Gallery, Footscray Community Arts, Melbourne, Australia

2021

The Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize

2021

Noise And Cloud And Us (solo), The Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film, Singapore

2020

The Objectifs Documentary Award 2020 (Open Category)

2020

Singapore International Photography Festival, Singapore

2020

Knots Photo Exhibition, Myanmar Deitta Gallery, Yangon

2020

Meet the Artists: Shwe Wutt Hmon und Yu Yu Myint Than, Villa Sträuli, Winterthur, Switzerland

2019

Disclosure (Thuma Collective’s Second Group Exhibition), Myanmar Deitta Gallery, Yangon

2019

Bridging The Naf, Myanmar Deitta Gallery, Yangon

2018

Us & Beyond (Thuma Collective’s Debut Exhibition), Myanmar Deitta Gallery, Yangon

Exhibition

• Installation view at Aichi Triennale 2022
• Noise And Cloud And Us, 2020-2022
• Photo: ToLoLo studio