U Soe Win
a floating market village in Inle Lake, Myanmar
U Soe Win has spent a lifetime by the waters of Inle Lake, where he learned to scrutinize machinery as a child sitting by his father’s side. His small-engine repair work is his silent dialogue with time and decay, as he meticulously tracks every bolt and listens to the graphite symphony of windshield wipers. Nights are filled with tools spread on woven mats, guarding his thoughts against the coming monsoon's threat to his fragile workshop.
About
Obsession
The rhythm of windshield wipers on different cars.
Voice
Faint hum of distant machinery
Artistic Medium
Assemblages from engine parts and monsoon debris
Technique
Carefully rusting and piecing together
Influences
Monsoon season floods, dictionary recitations, rhythm of engine parts
Materials
Old carburetors, rusted bolts, bamboo, faded rubber
Scale
Palm-sized to table-top
Selected 1 time · Last: April 29, 2026
