Koichi Kageyama | San Minn's "Computer Control System": A Humorous Critique of Civilization -- Rina Igarashi
This article explores the background and critical meaning of Myanmar artist San Minn's work "Computer Control System" through an interview with Rina Igarashi, a curator at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.Summary
This article deeply examines San Minn's (1951-2022) 1985 artwork, "Computer Control System," through an interview with Rina Igarashi, a curator at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. The painting depicts a man sleeping beneath a shark-faced missile flying in the sky, embodying a humorous critique of civilization regarding the conflict between cutting-edge technology and humanity, and the computer-controlled society. San Minn was a pioneer of modern art in Myanmar who formed the "Gangaw Village Art Group" in 1979 after being imprisoned as a political prisoner, continuing his activities under strict censorship. According to Igarashi, San Minn created works based on information gathered from foreign magazines obtained on the black market, employing Surrealist influences and playing with the act of "classification" of motifs to stimulate the viewer's imagination. Created in 1985 against the backdrop of the Falklands War, this piece foresees a near future of 2001, serving as a warning against computer supremacy.
(Source：artscape)