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80 ART and ARTISTS 81 ART and ARTISTS

82 ART and ARTISTS 83Myanmar in all its glorious diversity offers several ancient and By 1988, what we now call contemporary art truly emerged amongst the art. Many well-known masters of Myanmar art came from Mandalay. It is U LUN GYWE modern windows into how art history developed over hundreds artists residing in Yangon, Mandalay and surrounding areas. It was also still a place of important history, upheld in the hearts of Burmese people. of years. From animist belief systems and Buddhism, to political the year when the infamous 8/8/88 protests engulfed Rangoon University, But it no longer serves as a center of contemporary art. This does not mean A man who is considered by many to be Myanmar’s most prolific painter, Uorganizations and ethnic geographies, art history was shaped by the people followed by a violent backlash from the military government. Aung San that it will not rise again in the future as a relevant center of discourse for Lun Gywe depicts in his paintings an ephemeral quality for the viewer. Withand places where culture was also a form of communication. Some of the Suu Kyi emerged as her people’s new leader. It was this pivotal year when many artists and researchers. light-hearted brushstrokes and impressionist style, he manages to captureearliest references to painting are seen in the pagodas of Bagan and Mrauk Myanmar’s young people discovered a crusade worth fighting for. With light and movement in his subject matter, whether it is a woman smoking orU. What were once detailed and colorful frescoes are now only remnants previous generations as their teachers and inspiration, young artists and Many of the greatest inspirations of art mastery of this period are no longer dancing, a thundering landscape scene, or a smooth lakeside view. For manyor outlines, but these murals are indications of the importance placed on intellectuals emerged from this period defiant of their military rulers and alive, and in some cases passed away around 1988, but we would like to years, he was a teacher at the State School of Fine Art in Yangon, and in thecommunicating religious stories and teachings through art. determined to escape from censorship and poverty through expression. acknowledge them here as leaders in abstraction as well as establishing 1990s devoted himself entirely to painting, producing over 50 works of art Here, we discuss those pioneers in the contemporary art scene, their styles a national identity in their art concepts. They are Bagyi Aung Soe, Khin every month. He is also one of very few painters ever to go to internationalFrom the 11th to 19th centuries, what we now know as Myanmar was and influences, as well as their predecessors, carrying Myanmar art into the Maung (Bank) Aung Khin, Paw Oo Thet, Khin One, and Khin Maung Yin. auction.broken down and reunified by a series of dynastic rulers, and at times future. All of the artists detailed below were either taught or were admirers of theseincluded parts of what is now India and Thailand. Art flourished in these artists, and they helped to foster the revolution in contemporary Myanmarperiods, as royal court painters, temple builders, craftsmen and weavers Yangon and Mandalay are the cultural capitals of Myanmar. Not only art today.benefited from the constant exchange and discovery of materials and are they centers of trade and commerce, but they are also where previousmethods. Famous artist Saya Chone was one of few artists, who made the governments and kings established their bases. Yangon, in lower Myanmar, ABOVE PREVIOUStransition from court painter, during the reign of the country’s last king, to is a cosmopolitan city surrounded by a river delta region. The Shwedagonportrait painter and commercial artist under British rule. Pagoda and colonial-era architecture are the most famous sites, and dozens Paying Homage to Buddha, 2009 Traditional Dancers, 2005 of galleries and art spaces dot the city. Most galleries are commercial and U Lun Gywe U Lun GyweAfter the Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824-1885), Myanmar became a province rent their spaces to artists for exhibitions. These include Lokanat Galleryof British India and the last Burmese monarch was exiled. Politically fraught (the country’s oldest art gallery founded in 1972), River Gallery, Pansodan LEFTthough this period was, what emerged from the art scene was a new and Gallery, Nawaday Tharlar Gallery, The Yangon Gallery and several others inaccomplished group of painters, who were schooled in Western style art Yangon’s famous Bogyoke Market. Other galleries double as artist studios Beauty, 2007using oil paints and muted colors. British academics and officers formed – such as Tiger Gallery, Inya Art Gallery, Beikthano Gallery and Studio U Lun Gywethe Burma Art Club and several Burmese painters joined and trained as Square. Still others serve the community by providing educational resourcespart of the organization, depicting religious events and everyday life in and exhibition space, like New Zero Art Space and Myanm/art.Myanmar in a new and exciting way. However, in the minds and hearts ofthe Burmese painters, it was important to gain new knowledge and skill, Yangon’s scene is established and supported by its artists, not by thewhile maintaining a particularly Burmese style, keeping traditional motifs government. There is one museum in Yangon – the National Museum –and subject matters alive through their work. where a selection of paintings is on display, among thousands of artifacts, costumes, and other memorabilia. But this is not considered an art museumAfter independence in 1947, Myanmar went through its first democratic and the government has yet to fund any contemporary art projects.transition. It was a thrilling time for artists and thinkers alike, and many However, there are non-government organizations that help to supportemerged from this time as young and enthusiastic modern artists. However, the creative community in Myanmar. The Goethe Institute, the Frenchin 1962, a military coup organized by General Ne Win, re-established a Institute, and the Japan Foundation are the most notable patrons, providingculture of fear and protest, much like the British colonization had done funding, public space, networks, and training to creative courses, projectdecades earlier. Artists were no longer permitted to speak or express opportunities, and a chance to express freely and without oversight fromthemselves freely. Supplies and materials became scarce, and information particular ministries.from outside of the country even scarcer. The artists of Myanmar had to relyon themselves and each other to learn about new art concepts, share ideas Mandalay is an older city than Yangon, and its surrounds are chock-fulland translate their styles and subjects to a select audience. of precious Buddhist history. It preserves the traditional arts through its workshops and artisans, but maintains some distance from contemporary

84 ART and ARTISTS 85 Golden Evening 2, 2015 MIN WAE AUNG Min Wae Aung An art market darling, Min Wae Aung arrived on the scene with stunning skill, his canvases filled with golden light and impressive figures, his rows of monks and nuns walking Yangon streets perfectly capturing the romance of other-worldly Myanmar, at a time when the country was inaccessible to a worldwide audience. In the midst of his rise to fame, he opened New Treasure Art Gallery, to host his studio and provide a platform for friends and students who were also passionate about painting. ABOVE LEFT AND RIGHT KHIN M AU NG ZAW Lost in Thought, 2016; With a teacher like U Lun Gywe and a formal education, Morning in Kekku, 2014 Khin Maung Zaw is one the most accomplished Khin Maung Zaw contemporary watercolorists in Myanmar. Watercolor is an extremely difficult medium to master, but Khin Maung LEFT Zaw, despite his youth, has managed multiple international and local exhibitions as well as a dedicated following. His Struggle, 2016 paintings evoke the beauty and colors of Myanmar - the Khin Zaw Latt architecture, the landscape, and the people. KHIN ZAW L ATT A graduate of the National University of Art and Culture - Yangon (NUAC), Khin Zaw Latt has astounded critics and collectors with his social message paintings. In spite of censorship boards limiting his options, he managed to find a style where he could address issues, such as poor education and poverty that plagued the city and countryside, through portraits of street children and young women. Khin Zaw Latt is also a philanthropist and gallery owner, running food and education programs for children in the Delta region of Myanmar, as well as KZL and Bo Aung Kyaw Street art galleries.

86 ART and ARTISTS 87 TOP LEFT CLOCKWISE FACING PAGE AY E KO City Night, 2004 Red Cube, 1986 Founder of New Zero Art Space, Aye Ko is a force among the Yangon scene. Aye Ko Po Po The first to establish an international residency and art archive and library, Aye Torso, 2017 VIP Project, 2010—15 Ko defied the notion that Myanmar was a closed country and that education Sonny Nyein Po Po could only happen in state-run schools. A painter and performance artist Mother and Child, 2007 himself, he inspires his students and friends with his vigor and passion. Aung Myint SONNY NYEIN One of Myanmar’s very few sculptors, Sonny Nyein distinguished himself amongst his peers as having the ability to create metal and woodwork unlike any that had been seen before in Myanmar. His dream is to be commissioned to create a monument size work for a park or a building in his home city of Yangon. He resides at his home studio Tiger Gallery, where he creates his work as well as holds an impressive collection of some of Myanmar’s most beloved artists. AUNG MYINT Co-founder of the Inya Art Gallery at his home in 1989, Aung Myint was a school principle turned painter, and one who many young people consider the father of contemporary art in Myanmar. Through his gallery and his own mixed media artwork, he encouraged young artists to go beyond painting, to attempt performance art and installation. His space provided refuge for many alternative art forms which were not accepted by some master painters who were trained to create representational work. Aung Myint’s own pieces are awash with bright colors and frantic strokes. He hopes to inspire thoughtful reflection on his abstractions from his audience. PO PO As a quiet student from Pathein in the 1980s, Po Po moved to Yangon to share his artistic vision with the scene. He is one of Myanmar’s only conceptual artists, who uses shape and texture to express everything from erotic love to Buddhist doctrine. He began as a painter, but abandoned the brush in the mid-90s. He moved on to soft sculpture and site-specific installation. He is well known in the Yangon scene and has shown significant exhibitions abroad.

88 ART and ARTISTS 89 TOP LEFT CLOCKWISE HTEIN LIN PHYU MON Soap Blocked, 2015 A former political activist and prisoner, Htien Lin made a name for As a woman in the contemporary art scene in Yangon, Phyu Mon has Htein Lin himself in the 90s through the performing arts. It was only later – made a name for herself, not only creating challenging pieces which The Past and the Present from after being imprisoned, emigrating to London and finally returning defy censorship boards, but also encouraging young women artists to each either Side of the Wall, 2013 to Yangon – that he became a household name. His ability to share participate more widely in activities in Yangon. She is the founder of Nge Lay his politics through patterns and images, as well as installation and the Blue Wind Contemporary Art Festival for Women. Like Umbrella / Like King, 2015 performance, serves as an example to a younger generation who require Moe Satt courage to pursue freedom of expression. MA THANEGI Installation at Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai N GE LAY A former painter and member of Peacock Gallery, Ma Thanegi no long produces artwork, but is a vital resource of Myanmar’s art and A fine art photography and installation artist, Nge Lay began to cultural history. Having been deeply involved in the art and political travel abroad to show her work in the early 2000s. Alternative art scene between 1970-1990, she conveys a vast amount of knowledge forms, while popular, were not accepted into commercial galleries in about the progress of art in Myanmar over the decades. She has written Yangon. With a lack of resources, Nge Lay often had to find residency several books and is an incomparable contributor to the art scene projects abroad to realize her creative visions. Her concepts are based through her writing. in personal experiences – loss of family members, changing cities, and childhood classrooms dominate her investigative pieces. There are many more artists who work in and outside of Myanmar, who are from beyond Yangon and Mandalay in Kachin and Shan MOE SATT states, Dawei and Hpa-An, Sittwe and Sagaing, that deserve a place on this list. The history of contemporary art in Myanmar continues Founder of the Beyond Pressure Performance Art Festival, Moe Satt is to grow and change, and hundreds of people are responsible for its a curator and artist, as well as a resource for regional and international blossoming reputation and complex struggles. There are many books to art experts who are interested in supporting art in Myanmar. He was read that refer to these histories, including Andrew Ranard’s Burmese the first artist to approach the censorship board with a request to Painting and Aung Min’s Myanmar Contemporary Art 1. Search hold an art festival, and his own performances address his personal any of these artist names on the web and you will find links to their childhood growing up under a military dictatorship. He is an important biographies, upcoming shows, and a large collection of images. piece of the puzzle when it comes to the development of contemporary art infrastructure in Myanmar. Contemporary art goes beyond painting. It is inclusive of all the experimental aspects of art-making, which now includes video and sound, not to mention performance and installation. There is surely more to come from the art scene in Myanmar.