The Indivisible exhibition in the Thai city of Chiang Mai highlights medics working among Myanmar’s resistance forces and displaced civilians in Kayah State.
The exhibition runs at the Alliance Française de Chiang Mai until October 14 and is available online.
Khin Sandar Nyunt, an ethnographer and a documentary photographer, spent two years in Kayah State documenting medical students who fled Yangon after the 2021 coup to treat displaced civilians and the public in Kayah’s war zone.
She documented their daily challenges while establishing a functional hospital which was later targeted by junta airstrikes on May 20.
Medical units and hospitals in the resistance stronghold are frequently targeted by the junta, disrupting medical access for resistance fighters and civilians.
Khin Sandar Nyunt told New Burma, which organized the exhibition: “When the first bombs were dropped, I felt like I was in a killing field. I thought I was dead. I felt that this time I wasn’t going to survive.”
The medics emerged from their bomb shelters and were forced to move for a third time.
“I want to be actively involved and consider myself as a part of this revolution. I appreciate that I’ve had the experience and have witnessed different aspects of this movement,” she said, adding that the exhibition is her way of resisting the junta.
The photographer said she wanted to detail the extent to which the junta targets civilians and healthcare and how inhumane that is.
Curator Som Supaparinya told The Irrawaddy: “They are very powerful images because they show the hardness of the people. Those students help people to live longer or feel a little bit more comfort throughout difficult times. I think this is what most Thais don’t see. We should see it and we should understand and support it more.”
New Burma said the exhibition aims to raise awareness and funds to rebuild healthcare services in Kayah State.
Medic Ko Htoo told New Burma that they were determined to keep going and break free from repression.
“We face life-threatening situations. I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong so far. I have no regrets. I’m still committed to this revolution,” he said.
