Maung Day, A Barge in the Gispanadi River

In April 2022 – almost a year after a series of wars broke out between the Arakan Army and the Bamar Military in the area, Burmese artist Maung Day took a trip to Arakan Land. On this trip through Sittwe, Mrauk-U and other small Arakanese towns, he brought along a drawing book, into which he sketched out the sights of his journey. Upon returning home, he redrew many of these sketches.

Of this drawing, Maung Day writes:

"The Arakanese Land is full of flooded plains, and numerous streams and rivers snake about throughout the land. This was my first visit to the area in my entire life, and my former efforts to go there were stopped either by myself or my Arakanese friends worrying about my security, given my Indian ethnic background. The landscapes did fascinate me, and inspired me to make sketches. I saw the well-known Gispanadi River, and a barge slowly moving in it. Beyond the river are expanses of farmland and watersheds. I wanted to capture the texture of the land and the atmosphere, and make it colorful reflecting on the current celebratory mood of the local people."