Shwe Wutt Hmon

From the defiance symbol of the three fingers salute and a variety of creative campaigns to anti-coup slogans and countrywide street protests were the resistance and fight against the dictatorship by the Burmese people on the early calm days just aftermath of the coup till the violent and fatal crackdowns in later months. The meaning of part of those strikes is I am both an anguish citizen towards the military junta's coup that swept away our stable and hopeful lives, and a spontaneous artist who is in need of immediate personal response to observe and reflect what is happening around me and what my role is in this collective history.

Just a few days after the coup, people initiated the banging pots and pans campaign in almost all parts of Myanmar at 8 o’ clock every night for fifteen minutes as a collective outcry of solidarity. The nationwide action speaks about the inclusive participation of all the citizens during the Covid pandemic, across all genders, ages, races and classes as not only an act of political opposition but also emotional outburst for their agony. There is a traditional belief that we hit pots and pans to drive out the devils.

When the military detained Myanmar’s de facto leader Daw Aung San Su Kyi and her cabinet on the 1st February 2022, witnessing the scattered posters of her is, to me, a reflection of her iconic image and position overthrown by the big forces of evil power. The revolution is leaderless unlike traditionally favored iconic-leadership-style in the country's political history. Alternatively, people are the “LEADER” of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution. After the experience of heartbreak visiting only one of the funeral services of a deceased person who sacrificed his life during one of the brutal violent crackdowns, I only kept visiting the memorial and tribute dedicated to our fallen heroes.

The core value of this exploration and reflection is to accentuate a big picture of each unique action taken by the people in Myanmar against the military dictatorship which is rooted for 70 years in the country's history, taking the coup on 1st February 2021 as a significant point in contemporary Myanmar politics. “Drive The Devils Out '', is an ongoing mixed-media work of an experience, a witnessing and a response of an individual in collective actions.