Soe Yu Nwe (b. 1989, Myanmar) draws inspiration from Burmese folklore, vernacular arts, and Buddhist and animistic practices. Her sculptures often feature fragmented female bodies transformed into visceral, semi-botanical forms. Reflecting her own mixed Chinese-Burmese heritage, Nwe’s practice embraces hybridity to explore the multiplicity and fluidity of identity. One of her recurring mythical motifs is the “Goddess of the Serpent”, a metaphor for the self, rebirth, and femininity – a symbolic challenge to the conservative gender roles traditionally upheld in Myanmar’s Buddhist doctrine. Another significant motif in this exhibition is the head of Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy). Inspired by her encounter with the Kannon (Guanyin) statues at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto where the deity appears as male, unlike the typically female depictions in Myanmar, Nwe began exploring gender identity through this mythological figure, expanding the motif into a new body of work. Currently Soe is setting up a studio in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai in Thailand.