The Amnesty Prison Art Show 2012 has something different for the viewing public—a remarkable collection of clandestine works made during incarceration by ex-political prisoners.

“You may not see these kinds of paintings in other places,” said Sanny, one of the organizers and an ex-political prisoner. “Most of the pictures were done secretly during their prison sentences, but some were created after their release.” The exhibition boasts 110 paintings by 36 ex-political prisoners, including works by 1988 student leaders.

“We also want to raise public awareness regarding the fact that despite the president's latest amnesty, there are some political dissidents still locked in prisons,” said organizing team member Tun Win Nyein. He added that any profit generated from the show will go to the welfare of political prisoners who are still behind bars and other charity services.

The works created during jail terms were the results of using myriad different mediums—pencils, ink, pastels, watercolors, oil paints, cotton threads and even colorful plastic bags—revealing conditions where inmates had to rely on any material within their reach to express their creativity.

“In those days if you were caught with even a very small piece of newspaper cutting from a cheroot butt in hand, you would be severely beaten,” said Tun Win Nyein, an artist who spent nine years in prison for political activities. But how much inmates could create depended solely on the prison authorities and how strictly they enforced regulations. “In some prisons, political prisoners were allowed to read but not write as the jailers considered it to be a threat to prison security,” he said. “But both were OK in other prisons. If you are lucky enough to be in that kind of jail, you could do painting if you wished.”

Most of the pictures are a reflection of conditions which the artists had to endure during their imprisonments, while others are inspired by missing loved ones. But, to some admirers' dismay, most of the paintings were not for sale as they represent a poignant time of the artists' lives, said Sanny.

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