Military personnel raided an art gallery and arrested five people in Mandalay last week after a planned exhibition to raise funds for earthquake victims was accused of “undermining state dignity.”
The raid took place at the Nanmati Art Gallery in the city’s Chanayethazan Township last Thursday, a day before the “Phoenix Mandalay” exhibition was scheduled to open.
“We heard that five people were arrested. We don’t know the details of who they were yet. When we saw photos of artwork by artists we know among the pieces that were confiscated, it made us worried,” said a woman familiar with the situation.
The exhibition was organised to raise money for victims of the earthquake that struck just west of Mandalay on March 28, devastating much of the city and neighbouring parts of Sagaing Region and Naypyitaw and killing nearly 4,000 deaths, according to junta figures.
The exhibition planned to display and sell nearly 200 paintings, with between 50 and 100 percent of the proceeds going towards building temporary homes for earthquake-affected families.
Following the raid, the gallery announced that the exhibition had been cancelled for “various reasons,” without providing any further details.
The event organiser declined to provide detailed information about the situation, but confirmed on Monday that some participants had been detained and were still being questioned.
The raid and arrests prompted strong condemnation in Mandalay’s arts community.
“It’s despicable to suppress any art form, including painting, that aims for the public good without personal gain, preventing free, creative expression,” commented a Mandalay-based poet who did not want to be identified.
The raid was reportedly carried out by troops from the junta’s Central Regional Military Command, which is headquartered in Mandalay Palace. It came after pro-regime Telegram channels issued calls for a crackdown on the event.
One of the paintings singled out by junta supporters featured the palace and the national flag, as well as flames, barbed wire, and other symbols of destruction and oppression.
There have also been claims circulating among regime supporters that money raised through the exhibition would be used for resistance activities.
