What We Remember, When We Remember

Ri began their project in 2021, shortly after the military coup in their native Myanmar. It started with a simple yet profound question posed to friends and family, aimed at sparking conversation: “When did you first learn to fear the military?”

In Myanmar, stories often have to be hidden or whispered, cloaked in fear. For Ri, however, the greatest fear is losing those stories entirely. This project is an attempt to preserve these conversations, preventing them from fading into ghost stories. It is an effort to confront history honestly and address the vicious cycle of violence that Myanmar has endured.

Yet, telling such stories—especially through photography—comes with significant risks in Myanmar. To navigate these dangers, Ri turned to archival materials, experimenting with various mediums and materials to explore the generational memories shaped by military rule. This creative approach allows them to delve into the deep, often unspoken impacts of trauma on a collective scale.

Today, the project remains more of a question than an answer. It seeks to unravel an even larger inquiry: How can one capture the psychological trauma of an entire nation?

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Ri is a lens-based visual artist from Myanmar. Their masterclass project, What We Remember, When we Remember, is their personal account of life under military rule in Myanmar.

For the 28th edition of the Joop Swart Masterclass, we brought together 12 emerging photographers from around the world to develop a project, and develop the tools to make a viable career in photography.

Launched in 1994, the Joop Swart Masterclass is World Press Photo’s best-known educational program for emerging photographers, encouraging new and diverse approaches to photojournalism, documentary photography and visual storytelling. After a three-year hiatus, the Joop Swart Masterclass returns this year, with a focus on the MENA region, thanks to funding from the Porticus Foundation.