After months of sourcing censored paintings, and paintings that evaded the censors, Ian and I will launch our exhibit Banned in Burma on Monday, October 20, 2014 at the Nock Art Foundation warehouse in Hong Kong. We were fortunate to be introduced to Michael Nock, an Australian artist and avid collector who is a long-time Hong Kong resident and patron of the arts. He embraced our goal of introducing to Hong Kong the amazing range of art produced in Myanmar, and he’s eager to give artists who experienced censorship a chance to exhibit their work abroad. We also have a long association with Pyay Way of Nawaday Tharlar Gallery in Yangon, and have collaborated closely with him to source paintings. The show will open at the Nock Art Foundation warehouse space in Wong Chuk Hang for three weeks from October 20 to November 9. It will then move to the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre in Central for three days from November 29 to December 1. We plan to feature around 50 paintings and some exciting interactive events. Stay tuned for more details of our opening night. And please like our Banned in Burma Facebook page!

Melissa Carlson is a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University – SAIS and is interested in censorship, national identity, and painting in Myanmar.