ARTISTS

Each Person’s Answer For: What a Country and Themselves Is? – Khin Thet Htar Latt’s Solo Exhibition, ‘A Country, A Town, A Human’

Myanm/art

Oct 04 - Oct 30, 2019

Written by Yuki Kitazumi, a journalist living in Yangon

The message is clear, but she does not assert it. It gives viewers room for discretion in interpretation and brings up more issues than the artist thinks. The space created by Khin Thet Htar Latt, a film director and performing art creator who also creates installations, can be seen in a number of such diverse elements. At a solo exhibition 'A Country, a Town, a Human', silver-dull, glistening water-drawing pots were stirring up the imagination of Mrauk U, the ancient capital of Rakhine State, which was in the midst of a civil war.

Space that Incorporates the Optimal Representation

The event, held at Myanm/art, in downtown Yangon, featured a variety of representations, including installations that simulated a pagoda with a stack of silver-water pots, photos that combined pots and pagodas, and video works that combined the darkness of wells with an invisible woman. "When I tried to use this space to express what I thought, I just used the best method," explains Khin Thet Htar Latt.

First, the 'Country' represented all over the wall was cut into several states and regions, or, more importantly, into fragments. For each state or region on key chains, words such as 'On sale in Rakhine State' were written and the chains were hanging. For the key holders, cheap materials such as wood chips and chains were used. Khin Thet Htar Latt explains about the state of affairs in which land and resources have been bought abroad and exploited internationally. Apart from that, the fragmented national land reminds us of the situation in Myanmar, where ethnic minorities are still in conflict, and the civil war is not over.

What was expressed in the next 'Town' was the ancient capital of Rakhine, Mrauk U. It is a beautiful city of Buddhist architecture that flourishes as the capital of the Kingdom of Arakan and is regarded as a candidate for becoming a World Heritage Site. This year, however, the civil war with the Arakan army, which is striving for autonomy of the Rakhine people, has intensified, and it is said that damage has also been done to urban areas and ruins. She first went there in 2017, before the civil war spread. It is said that she was shocked by the images she witnessed of men and women who had to walk so far because of a shortage of water and were carrying a water-drawing pot. In Myanmar, water is a symbol of wealth. She expressed a thirst for wealth using photographs which combine water-drawing pots and pagodas. It was composed of nine photographs in which the atmosphere changed with the passage of time. The installation that imitates the pagoda by piling up pots is also said to be based on a similar motif. "Myanmar people put something in their hopes when building pagodas. I also make a wish when making pagodas out of pots",  Khin Thet Htar Latt says.

'Human' combines pictures of women using pots for drawing water with videos showing the appearance of women in dark wells that are likely to be sucked in. The video of the well is named 'Black hole', signifying despair in Myanmar. It can be interpreted as depicting women's efforts to gain wealth, even in the midst of deep despair.

Two Combinations, Infinite Interpretations

Khin Thet Htar Latt says that Mrauk U's involvement in the battle is not something she wants to express in her work. It cannot be denied, however, that this tragedy comes into the minds of the viewers to depict the ancient capital at this time, which is at risk.

In a two-piece work expressing solidarity and diversification, there were two types of works, one in which the land of Myanmar becomes fragmented and the other in which they are folded together. In her work, this combination of two elements often appears. Despair and the efforts to overcome it, holy pagodas and water-drawing pots showing everyday life, the political nature of the country, and the freedom of people... It is up to the audience to interpret which one is more important and what these combinations produce, which results in a number of different messages. It is in turn, up to the viewer to decide what they think.

Khin Thet Htar Latt is also known as Nora. She is unusual as an artist and also has experience as a practitioner who is an international NGO (non-governmental organization) employee. In addition, the fact that many elements, such as movies, photography, and performing arts, coexist within a single artist may lead to the 'cohesion and diversity' that she emphasizes in her work.