Soe Yu Nwe draws on the folklore and vernacular arts of her native country, as well as Buddhist and animistic practices. Many of her ceramic works make symbolic references to the temples of Yangon and their painted wooden idols representing gods, goddesses and mythical beings. In her practice the female body is often fragmented and transformed into visceral, semi-botanical sculptures or vessels, overgrown with weeds and flowers. In Myanmar, the goddess of serpent dragons is Naga Mae-Daw, often venerated in the country’s numerous pagoda temples with offerings given to real snakes housed in the temples. Said to be of pre-Buddhist origin, Naga Mae-Daw rules over magical spirits known as Nagas – transformative snake-like beings that live in rivers, lakes, oceans and in the bottom of wells.