In this episode, we speak to creative duo Sai and K, who tell us about their work in arts and culture in Myanmar and the 2021 military coup that changed their lives forever - leading to Sai’s father being imprisoned by the military and the couple fleeing the country for their lives.

Thank you to both Sai and K for sharing their story. If you are enjoying The Art Persists Podcast, please FOLLOW, RATE, and SHARE. Only with your help can these stories be heard.

Sai is a Burmese multidisciplinary artist. His ongoing work follows the political turmoil that has engulfed Myanmar since the coup of 2021 and specifically the trauma inflicted on his own family, exploring the unjust narrative of the relationship between his father, who has been held as a political prisoner by the Burmese junta since the coup, and his mother, who lives under 24 hour surveillance and in constant fear for her own safety. Sai himself has been in hiding for almost a year. His name is an alias for his safety.

K is a curator, creative director and a leading change maker fellows of the Asia pacific leadership program from the East-West Center, learning how system changes are shaped and formed. As an ethnic minority in Myanmar with global citizenship spirit, K has embraced and has been a driving force in shaping the harmonious and diverse societies and communities of Myanmar through the arts and culture. She envisions the arts not only as healing agents in communities, but also as a bridge of heritages from the past towards the contemporary and the unforeseeable future.