Htein Lin

Htein Lin is a Burmese artist (painting, installation, performance) and writer. He has also worked as a comedian and actor. Born in 1966 in Ingapu, Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar, he was active in the 1988 student movement at Rangoon University where he studied law. Htein Lin pioneered performance art in Burma in 1996. His artwork often pertains to political and environmental awareness through conceptual means. He currently lives and works in Yangon.

Mangrave (2017)

Multimedia installation

Size Variable

After Cyclone Nargis, people in coastal areas started realising how important mangrove forests are in Myanmar. They give us protection from storms. I visited Bogale in Meinmahla Kyun and saw the mangrove forests there and it gave me a lot of ideas.

Mangrave is a charcoal sculpture of a tree, built with old tree trunks. It was inspired by the mangrove deforestation for the production of charcoal, one of the primary causes of mangrove decline. Bogale charcoal made from mangroves is famous for its quality. Production of this charcoal in the delta was encouraged in the Ne Win era to fuel kitchens in Yangon. It led to widespread mangrove deforestation. With my charcoal trees, I want to take the audience back to the previous life of the mangrove forest. Will we be able to recover from those foolish mistakes? Can we resurrect our deltaic mangroves?