Sawangwongse Yawnghwe (b. 1971) was born into the Yawnghwe royal family. His grandfather, Sao Shwe Thaik, was the first president of the Union of Burma (1948–1962) after independence from Britain. Following a 1962 military coup Yawnghwe’s family was exiled, first to Thailand and then to Canada, where he grew up. He now lives and works in the Netherlands. Yawnghwe’s art, including painting and installation, engages with politics through his family history and contemporary and historical events in Burma. He uses family photographs to explore and critique the narrative of his country, suggesting that existing archives can’t fully capture a nation’s truth. His work also includes maps that address conflicts related to drugs, revolutionary armies, ethnic minorities, mining, and state violence, aiming to clarify a complex political landscape.