Maung Day

Lost Children 2022

The Lost Children series is dedicated to lost children everywhere. Children lost from their homes, land and families, not to mention generations of young men and women driven lost by current political, technological and economic circumstances. These exist as a trap, a song that loops over and over. These works draw on elements of folk tales and folk horror. In terms of the subject, Maung Day intuitively responded to the pied piper narrative from old classic folk tales (he was taught this story in English class when he was in grade 6 and was fascinated, but also felt indignant because in the story it is the children who must pay the price for the wrong the grown-ups commit). The style is influenced by his love of woodblocks and etchings, drawing on the medieval style and aesthetic appearance. The Lost Children series is the latest group of drawings by Maung Day and reflective of the situation future generations of children in Myanmar now face.

Lost Children by Maung Day

My child, where have you gone?
Mango buds have withered and dried
You should have come home

My child, what have you done?
The Great Bear is upside down
And a wild cat prowls around the house
You should have been back by now

Note: The Great Bear, also known as Ursa Major,
is a constellation in the northern sky