Inner World of Conflict: Mayco Naing’s Portraits of Silence

Mayco Naing, an artist and activist based in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), works primarily with photography. Beginning her career in a small photo studio in Yangon, she went on to exhibit her work internationally at the Lyon Biennale, the Bangkok Biennale as well as photography festivals in China, Bangkok, India and Colorado. Alongside her personal photographic projects, Mayco Naing also works with PhotoDoc Association and Yangon Photo Festival—one of South Asia’s largest annual photography events. With the PhotoDoc Association, she is involved in teaching photography through intensive workshops across the country, particularly in areas with little or no access to media education.

Naing’s practice emerges as a response to the repressive and totalitarian political regime that has dominated Myanmar’s recent history. Freedom from Fear is a portrait series that focuses on the generation of Burmese youth born around the time of the 8888 Uprising. Started by students and joined by scores of Buddhist monks and common people from around the country, this movement was forced to end when the coup took place on 18 September 1988, resulting in the installation of a military government for many years. These images remain relevant today: reflecting the stifling political climate of a country that is now witnessing yet another military coup, where media channels are under total state control.

Swimming in the midst of this sociopolitical crisis, we are confronted with the vulnerability of the young, not just in Myanmar but as a metaphor for the youth in many parts of the world today. The photographs channel the self-conscious gaze of drowning bodies and submerged voices to shift focus from the public manifestations of this political crisis—which we see in global media—to the emotional, internal and individual experiences of the Burmese youth.

To read more about the Yangon Photo Festival and PhotoDoc, please search for “Yangon Photo Festival: A Platform for Advocacy” in the Stories section.

All images by Mayco Naing.

Click on the image to view the album