Buffalo, NY – On Saturday, February 16, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery will open a new exhibition titled Htein Lin: A Show of Hands. The exhibition is organized by Jennifer Foley, Director of Education and Community Engagement, and Tina Rivers Ryan, Assistant Curator. Htein Lin: A Show of Hands was made possible by a gift from M&T Bank.

From 1998 to 2004, pro-democracy activist Htein Lin (Burmese, born 1966) was jailed for challenging the military dictatorship in his home country of Myanmar (formerly Burma) in Southeast Asia. Prior to his imprisonment, Lin acted in films and with a theater troupe. While behind bars, he continued to organize performance artworks with his fellow prisoners. He also used the humble objects available to him—cigarette lighters, bars of soap, and prison uniforms—to make more than 300 paintings and sculptures inspired by his experiences.

After his imprisonment, Lin left Myanmar and went into exile in London in 2006, only returning home in 2012 following a series of political reforms. In 2013, he began work on A Show of Hands. This multimedia installation includes hundreds of plaster sculptures cast from the hands of former political prisoners from Myanmar, each accompanied by a card bearing information about the circumstances of the individual’s imprisonment. In this way, A Show of Hands allows each person to “raise a hand” and be counted as part of the vast community of people who have suffered human rights abuses. The artist plans to continue adding new casts to the installation as these abuses continue.

“We hope this exhibition of Htein Lin’s work will provide a welcoming space for our many neighbors in the refugee community to connect with others of shared experience,” said Shelley C. Drake, President of The M&T Charitable Foundation. “We are honored to support this important exhibition, just as we are to work with our customers who are moving forward in building their new lives here.”

“We are excited to install this exhibition in the South Galleries of our 1905 Building, where it will be in dialogue with We the People: New Art from the Collection,” said Albright-Knox Assistant Curator Tina Rivers Ryan. “Like the works in that show, Lin’s A Show of Hands uses the language of art to create a space for dialogue about a difficult but important topic.”

According to Lin, the experience of breaking his arm in a bicycle accident during his time in London led to his interest “in the art of breaking, fixing, and healing,” and to the use of plaster casting in A Show of Hands. Both sculptural and social, Lin’s artistic practice offers individuals an opportunity to process the past by sharing their stories with others. As part of the installation at the Albright-Knox, Lin will travel from Myanmar to Buffalo, where he will cast the hands of former Burmese political prisoners from across the region.

For all of the events and tours related to the exhibition, please visit www.albrightknox.org/hteinlin.

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s exhibition program is generously supported by The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, Inc.

###