Another Realm (horses) (from 'Another Realm' series)

Min Thein Sung’s (Myanmar b.1978) ‘Another Realm’ series references the years that Myanmar was restricted from international trade and commercial mass-production, by focusing on the simple handmade toys that people created as copies of foreign toys they saw on TV and in books.

Wrapped in linen, the enormous puppet-like sculptures are inspired by the imaginative and transformative qualities of children’s toys. In the child’s imagination, Min Thein Sung conceives that logic and reality do not create borders and limits, and toys, books, and re-imagined objects are like doorways to another realm.

The wallpaper is created from reproduced comic books from Myanmar – similar to those the artist read as a child – to heighten this sense of imagination and transformation.

Another Realm (horses) is symbolic of the slippage that occurs between image and representation when a community is isolated from the world, but also celebrates a spirit of creativity, imagination and adaptability.

Exhibited in 'The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT8) | 21 Nov 2015 – 10 Apr 2016