Movement and Memory : a zine on display in the 25x25 exhibition at SMU de Suantio Gallery during the 2025 Arts Fest
This is a pdf capture of the zine created by Mack Rei for the 2025 Arts Fest 25x25 exhibition which contains a poetry inspired by Aung Ko’s artwork "We Are Moving" (2013) and Ba Khine's "Living in Harmony (Temples)" (2014).
"Movement and Memory is a poetry cycle inspired by two paintings from Myanmar: Aung Ko’s We Are Moving (2013) and Ba Khine’s Living in Harmony (2014). Both artworks highlight collective movement, but from opposing directions; one being born of fear, and the other grounded in ritual. I began to ponder what it means to move together when you are running from something, or walking toward something sacred.
My initial response came in bits of poetry. Some pieces include voices from philosophy and history, with fragments of Locke, Benjamin, and Bashō echoing how memory is layered and incomplete. Others lean into rhythm and breath, reflecting the quiet continuity in Ba Khine’s work.
The poems gradually came together as a cycle. They can be read on their own or in pairs, unfolding across moments of tension and rest. The pieces responding to Aung Ko’s painting are tighter and more fragmented, mirroring the urgency of the scene. Those written in response to Ba Khine’s are more spacious, carried by a different kind of weight.
Both works raise questions about how people gather, how they endure, and what kind of road is left behind when memory carries both trauma and tradition." - Mack Rei, Year 4, Lee Kong Chian School of Business
"Movement and Memory is a poetry cycle inspired by two paintings from Myanmar: Aung Ko’s We Are Moving (2013) and Ba Khine’s Living in Harmony (2014). Both artworks highlight collective movement, but from opposing directions; one being born of fear, and the other grounded in ritual. I began to ponder what it means to move together when you are running from something, or walking toward something sacred.
My initial response came in bits of poetry. Some pieces include voices from philosophy and history, with fragments of Locke, Benjamin, and Bashō echoing how memory is layered and incomplete. Others lean into rhythm and breath, reflecting the quiet continuity in Ba Khine’s work.
The poems gradually came together as a cycle. They can be read on their own or in pairs, unfolding across moments of tension and rest. The pieces responding to Aung Ko’s painting are tighter and more fragmented, mirroring the urgency of the scene. Those written in response to Ba Khine’s are more spacious, carried by a different kind of weight.
Both works raise questions about how people gather, how they endure, and what kind of road is left behind when memory carries both trauma and tradition." - Mack Rei, Year 4, Lee Kong Chian School of Business