Burmese contemporary art
Encyclopedia
Burma is a country in Southeast Asia
which has endured isolation for the last four decades. It is also a country with deep rooted Buddhist beliefs. The contemporary art
scene in the country reflects these facts, and the art is often related to Buddhism and the difficult socio-political situation. In this age of globalization
, Burmese contemporary art has developed rather on its own terms.
One of the first to study western art was Ba Nyan
. Together with Ngwe Gaing
and a handful of other artists, they were pioneers of western painting style in Burma. Later, most of the students learnt from masters through apprenticeship. Some well known contemporary artists are mentioned below.
Lun Gywe
(born 1930) is the undisputed old master of Burmese painting. He has been the mentor of many younger generations of artists. Lun Gywe is a master with colours, often in an impressionistic manner, and is particularly fond of painting the beauty of women. His works are represented in the National Museum of Myanmar
and the National Art Gallery of Malaysia.
Aung Kyaw Htet (born 1965) is a devout Buddhist who grew up in a small village—two factors which have a strong influence on his art. His paintings of religious life in Burma show monks and nuns in a realistic manner, though non-essential objects are omitted from the paintings to focus on the religious aspects. Aung Kyaw Htet paints the faces of monks and nuns in great detail to show their humanity. His works are represented in the National Museum of Myanmar
and the National Art Gallery of Malaysia.
Four additional artists who were found worthy to have their works included in the permanent collection of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia (the country's contemporary art museum) are MPP Yei Myint, Myint Swe, Min Wai Aung and Aung Myint
.
The younger generation of upcoming international contemporary artists include Nyein Chan Su and The Maw Naing.
Now there are many contemporary artists such as Po Po
. Po Po (born 1957) lives and works in Yangon
. He studied art himself (he called self-taught) and works with various media especially with installation works. He has staged solo exhibitions since 1987; they include “Untitled” and “Solid Concept” among others. He participated in the Kwangju Biennale 2000, the Flying Circus Project 2004 and Yokohama Triennale 2005.
Wah Nu was born in Yangon in 1977, and launched herself on an artistic career after graduating from the University of Culture, Yangon in 1998 where she majored in music. Since then she has developed a personal expression by mainly adopting painting and video as media. In 2004, she held the exhibition “Cloud Department” in Yangon. That is her first solo exhibition and then 2005, “Self-Identity” second in gallery Art-U room, Tokyo
, Japen. She showed in group exhibitions including Bangladesh Biennale 2004, Fukuoka Triennale 2005 and Another Seven Artists in Yangon 2008. Recently, she participate in The 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane with her husband, artist, Tun Win Aung, who works in multimedia installations and performance arts.
Most of the young artists who were born in the 1980s have greater chances of art practises inside and outside the country. Performance art
is a popular genre among Burmese young artists. Aung Ko, Moe Satt, Mrat Lunn Htwann and Nyan Lin Htet are some of the promising artists. Among them, Nyan Lin Htet started making performance art works in early 2000s and later he joined the contemporary theatre group Annees Folles for intensive theatre training with Japanese theatre director Arata Kitamura in Japan. Since 2005, Lin Htet has been actively involved in international performance art and theatre scenes. After founding the Yangon-based experimental theatre group Theatre of the Disturbed in 2005, Lin Htet directed theatrical adaptations of dramatic and literary works by Samuel Beckett
, Eugène Ionesco
and Franz Kafka
as well as dramatic works by local playwrights including himself. In 2007, he was awarded the 2-year Artist-in-residency programme at Cité Internationale des Arts-Paris with the support of Alliance Française de Rangoun and Ministry of Foreign Affairs-France. Lin Htet has been recognized not only as the most promising Burmese contemporary theatre artist but as one of the few promoters of contemporary Burmese art and theatre. He is currently based in Europe
.
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
which has endured isolation for the last four decades. It is also a country with deep rooted Buddhist beliefs. The contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
scene in the country reflects these facts, and the art is often related to Buddhism and the difficult socio-political situation. In this age of globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
, Burmese contemporary art has developed rather on its own terms.
One of the first to study western art was Ba Nyan
Ba Nyan
Ba Nyan was a Burmese painter who has been called the greatest name in modern painting in Myanmar. His oil paintings were quiet and academic in their style, but display occasional flashes of virtuosity in bold brushstrokes and skillful handling of the medium....
. Together with Ngwe Gaing
Ngwe Gaing
Ngwe Gaing was a Burmese artist who worked in both oil and watercolor. After the death of his teacher Ba Nyan, he was recognized as the greatest living painter in Myanmar. He had great influence on the next generation of artists, and his works are now highly sought after.-Life:Of Burmese Chinese...
and a handful of other artists, they were pioneers of western painting style in Burma. Later, most of the students learnt from masters through apprenticeship. Some well known contemporary artists are mentioned below.
Lun Gywe
Lun Gywe
Lun Gywe is a Burmese painter who works in oil and watercolor. Outside of Myanmar his work has been exhibited, often in solo shows, in Japan, the Republic of Korea, the People's Republic of China, Australia, New York, the Republic of Singapore.-Life:...
(born 1930) is the undisputed old master of Burmese painting. He has been the mentor of many younger generations of artists. Lun Gywe is a master with colours, often in an impressionistic manner, and is particularly fond of painting the beauty of women. His works are represented in the National Museum of Myanmar
National Museum of Myanmar
The National Museum of Myanmar, , located in Dagon, Yangon, is the main museum of Burmese art, history and culture in Myanmar. Founded in 1952, the five-story museum has an extensive collection of ancient artifacts, ornaments, works of art, inscriptions and historic memorabilia, related to history,...
and the National Art Gallery of Malaysia.
Aung Kyaw Htet (born 1965) is a devout Buddhist who grew up in a small village—two factors which have a strong influence on his art. His paintings of religious life in Burma show monks and nuns in a realistic manner, though non-essential objects are omitted from the paintings to focus on the religious aspects. Aung Kyaw Htet paints the faces of monks and nuns in great detail to show their humanity. His works are represented in the National Museum of Myanmar
National Museum of Myanmar
The National Museum of Myanmar, , located in Dagon, Yangon, is the main museum of Burmese art, history and culture in Myanmar. Founded in 1952, the five-story museum has an extensive collection of ancient artifacts, ornaments, works of art, inscriptions and historic memorabilia, related to history,...
and the National Art Gallery of Malaysia.
Four additional artists who were found worthy to have their works included in the permanent collection of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia (the country's contemporary art museum) are MPP Yei Myint, Myint Swe, Min Wai Aung and Aung Myint
Aung Myint
Aung Myint ; born 27 October 1946 is a Burmese painter and performance artist. He is considered a pioneer in experimental art, rejecting traditional romanticism and confronting social and critical issues through a range of distinctive styles and media.-Life:...
.
The younger generation of upcoming international contemporary artists include Nyein Chan Su and The Maw Naing.
Now there are many contemporary artists such as Po Po
Po Po
Po Po is a Burmese installation and performance artist. His work has been exhibited in Japan, South Korea and Berlin.-Life:Po Po was born in 1957 in Pathein, Myanmar. His formal name is Hla Oo. He is self-taught...
. Po Po (born 1957) lives and works in Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
. He studied art himself (he called self-taught) and works with various media especially with installation works. He has staged solo exhibitions since 1987; they include “Untitled” and “Solid Concept” among others. He participated in the Kwangju Biennale 2000, the Flying Circus Project 2004 and Yokohama Triennale 2005.
Wah Nu was born in Yangon in 1977, and launched herself on an artistic career after graduating from the University of Culture, Yangon in 1998 where she majored in music. Since then she has developed a personal expression by mainly adopting painting and video as media. In 2004, she held the exhibition “Cloud Department” in Yangon. That is her first solo exhibition and then 2005, “Self-Identity” second in gallery Art-U room, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japen. She showed in group exhibitions including Bangladesh Biennale 2004, Fukuoka Triennale 2005 and Another Seven Artists in Yangon 2008. Recently, she participate in The 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane with her husband, artist, Tun Win Aung, who works in multimedia installations and performance arts.
Most of the young artists who were born in the 1980s have greater chances of art practises inside and outside the country. Performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
is a popular genre among Burmese young artists. Aung Ko, Moe Satt, Mrat Lunn Htwann and Nyan Lin Htet are some of the promising artists. Among them, Nyan Lin Htet started making performance art works in early 2000s and later he joined the contemporary theatre group Annees Folles for intensive theatre training with Japanese theatre director Arata Kitamura in Japan. Since 2005, Lin Htet has been actively involved in international performance art and theatre scenes. After founding the Yangon-based experimental theatre group Theatre of the Disturbed in 2005, Lin Htet directed theatrical adaptations of dramatic and literary works by Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
, Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
and Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
as well as dramatic works by local playwrights including himself. In 2007, he was awarded the 2-year Artist-in-residency programme at Cité Internationale des Arts-Paris with the support of Alliance Française de Rangoun and Ministry of Foreign Affairs-France. Lin Htet has been recognized not only as the most promising Burmese contemporary theatre artist but as one of the few promoters of contemporary Burmese art and theatre. He is currently based in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
See also
- List of Burmese visual artists
- Sitt Nyein AyeSitt Nyein AyeSitt Nyein Aye is a Burmese artist.Sitt Nyein Aye came from a small village, near Nyaung-U Township in Upper Myanmar. He was born Sein Aye to Daw Than Swe and U Tun Pe. His parents were farmers with no money for education. Monks in the village monastery provided the resources needed for him to...
, painter - Htein LinHtein Lin- Early life :Htein Lin was born in Mezaligon, Sagaing Division in northern Burma. From 1985, he studied for a Bachelor of Law degree at Yangon University...
(born 1966), painter and performance artist - Asian artAsian artAsian art can refer to art amongst many cultures in Asia.-Various types of Asian art:*Afghan art*Azerbaijanian art*Balinese art*Bhutanese art*Buddhist art*Burmese contemporary art*Chinese art*Eastern art*Indian art*Iranian art*Islamic art...