Chaw Ei Thein

In solidarity with the multi-ethnic civil disobedience movement across Myanmar today, this new performance* by Chaw Ei Thein was developed for and during the artist’s FD13 residency in the Twin Cities, home to the largest community of Karen peoples in the United States. FD13 Director Erin Gleeson will open the event with a brief introduction to Chaw Ei Thein’s practice in relation to political and performance art histories in Myanmar. Following the performance is a reception with the artist. Masks + proof of vaccination are required.

*Performance may contain violent content based on experiences of the artists/speakers.

Chaw Ei’s Thein’s FD13 residency is hosted by Dreamsong’s Cloud House Residency, which provides accommodations and support for visual artists who are developing, exhibiting or curating new work in the Twin Cities.

Chaw Ei Thein (b. 1969, Yangon, Myanmar / lives and works Santa Fe, USA) is a multidisciplinary artist especially known for her performance practice and immersive installations that thinks with the contradictions of her socio-political environment, most notably the struggle for freedom of speech and the impact of social transformations in Myanmar. She holds a degree in law from Rangoon University (1994), and was mentored in art from a young age by her father, artist Maung Muang Thein (Pathein). She began participating in exhibitions and performance festivals in Myanmar and Southeast Asia in the mid-1990s. Chaw Ei Thein is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including Asian Cultural Council (ACC) and The International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) (both New York City), and has exhibited her work at Asia House London (with Htein Lin), Singapore Biennale (with Rich Steitmatter-Tran), and most recently After Hope: Videos of Resistance, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. Her artwork and voice can be found in numerous publications including Asian Art Now, Asian Art Archive, Artforum, Art Asia Pacific, Yishu, C-Arts, and The New York Times.

About FD13

FD13 residency for the arts invites national and international multidisciplinary artists to Minnesota to create new, experimental work and present it live. Founded in 2016 as an itinerant program, FD13 foregrounds hospitality, collaboration, and experimentation, working closely with local partners from wide ranging fields of thought to craft individuated residences that provide artist fees, living and working space, and site-specific research and production support. /// Located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and Anishanaabe, FD13 acknowledges Minnesota as Mni Sota Makoce, meaning Land Where the Water Reflects the Clouds in Dakota language. Visiting artists are invited to bring their ideas in relation with pasts, presents and futures specific to Minnesota’s human and more-than-human realms, conjuring dynamic relations amongst multiple audiences through both formal and informal talks, performances, screenings, meals, workshops, and more, culminating in a live event that brings each residency to a close.