A Juicy Memory

“A Juicy Memory” is a rendition of the artist’s personal experiences on the night of 9th September 2021.

The artwork captures a time of uncertainty, fear and vulnerability, in the midst of the revolution against the Junta. Using a style that reminds us of Keith Harding's playful Pop Art sketches, it shows a collection of Molotov bombs that have been composed into a single unit.

The artwork is a likeness of real Molotov bombs photographed by the artist during one of their missions. It was created specifically in remembrance of the day the Junta came to pick up Aung Khant’s acquaintance for questioning. Having parked within yards of the artist’s home, the artist remembers feeling sheer terror expecting to hear a knock on the door any time. A knock that thankfully did not come.

The physical proximity of the artist to the militia serves as a powerful reminder of the precariousness of life. Deleting the photos - which were evidence of Molotov cocktails used during the protest - was the only thing protesters could do to protect themselves from imminent danger.

Aung Khant

“What I can say about my artist life is an alternation of Nietzschean Apollonian and Dionysian phases with a nihilist twist which means I’m a great admirer of Rick Sanchez’s “Wubba lubba dub dub!” and Jordan Peterson’s debates on free speech, which represent my view about the current Burmese art scene”, Aung Khant.

Colourful and animated imagery created with striking contrasts and rebellious motifs, Khant’s artworks are characterised by comical elements and styles inspired by Kerby Rosanes, Keith Haring and Jean DuBuffet. His activist artworks embody his personal experience during the coup, his diverse life philosophies and a nostalgic collection of Burmese comics, horror books and video games from his childhood.

Aung Khant started “doodling” during his university years driven by his exhaustion about traditional painting methods. His doodles were quite popular at that time among young people for their extremely complex structures. He also worked with multiple local clothing brands and organisations with his design.

Graduated from University of Arts and Culture Yangon with B.A. in Painting, he made the first solo show in Yangon during the third year of university. Being a full time arts teacher, he was a passionate art educator. He co-founded an artist organization called “JINN” where he wrote educational pieces about modern and contemporary art. He also volunteered to teach arts in rehabilitation centres and monasteries.

Based on our agreement with the artist, 15% of the pre-VAT price excluding frames will be donated to support the social movement. Donation will be given to the National Unity Government of Myanmar ("NUG") Campaign UK.