The surface of the parasol carries a constructed image that evokes a satellite view of Insein Prison. Built by the British in 1887 on panoptic principles, Insein was designed for maximum surveillance; its layout of radial wings extending from a central observation tower. It became one of the most violent institutions of the British Empire, a record that continued under successive governments and persists under military rule today.

The parasol, a Burmese symbol of protection and intimacy, pivots its meaning through this image into one of control. The satellite becomes the ultimate panoptic device: observing without being perceived and collapsing the distance between territory and command. By inscribing the military gaze onto the object itself, the piece asks who watches, and what remains hidden.

Many artists have been inside the walls of this prison. Some accounts have survived - poems, drawings, paintings. Many others have disappeared with their authors.

The work stands as a tribute to all the artists lost to Insein Prison.

Insein, 2019
mixed media on burmese traditional parasol
120 x 80 x 80 cm