Prison Artist Creates

Tuesday 04th of September 2007 05:31:39 AM

Just because Burmese artist Htein Lin was in prison didn’t stop his need to create. “I thought they forgot me, so that is why I really wanted to tell them, ‘I am here. Don't forget me.' So that is why I really wanted to do something inside as artist. And then I started to look for how I could I do that without material in the cell. I found some piece of glass, I found some kitchenware. I found a cigarette lighter. I used that. But if I couldn't get the cigarette lighter or something. I can use my body,” said Lin.

Using prison uniforms as a canvas, Lin was able to draw, paint, and use materials he found in the prison to create paintings and collages that represented daily life. After he was released in 2004 after serving six years in prison, Lin began showing his work in Rangoon, Burma, but after being warned that his work could cause him to be put back into jail, Lin moved to London where he can show his work freely.

His works include self-portraits, and pictures he created from memory since he was not allowed to keep pictures with him while in prison. By talking with prison guards and fellow prisoners, he was able to combine their memories with his own to create original artwork.

(c)Ernesto Salazar, www.sxc.hu