In 1988, pro-democracy protests spread across Myanmar. The uprisings were met with immediate, violent suppression, and led to a military coup. A decade later, Htein Lin was jailed for suspected oppositional activity, amid rumors of an event marking the anniversary of the movement. During his seven years in jail, he continued to make art, utilizing the uniforms of inmates, soap blocks, and his own body. In this interview with AAP, the artist recounts how he “found freedom in solitary confinement” and details a performance about one of his torturers in prison—flies. Upon his release, he began his project A Show of Hands (2013– ), which sees him casting the hands of fellow ex-political prisoners as a comment on the possible recovery of society. Htein Lin also discusses his recent solo exhibition, “Skirting Issue,” at Hong Kong’s 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, where he showed paintings dissecting the gender politics and beliefs surrounding longyi (a traditional skirt), and installations utilizing found wagon wheels.