Myanmar Art Encounter

When we began our first arts tours of Vietnam, it was a period during which artists and indeed the industry were still emerging. What few artists were scraping a living from their work were centered in Hanoi. What a difference a decade makes. Vietnam's artists are now thriving and their works have been placed firmly on the international stage. Myanmar is much like Vietnam was that early period, with a small group if artists spread widely over Yangon.

Today's Artists in Myanmar

Read: New Vistas for Burmese Artists

Art has always been an integral part of the culture of Myanmar, so historically important that ten traditional art forms have been called "The Ten Flowers."

These ten forms, including sculpture, blacksmithing, lacquer ware creation, painting, and more have survived war, insurrection, revolution, and the passage of time, changing and persevering, but never leaving the Myanmar people without means of expression. Historical art forms can still be seen in modern Myanmar. At the Bagan historical site in the north of the country, early Burmese paintings dating from the 11th to 13th centuries can still be seen decorating the walls of temples and monasteries. In many locations, the buildings themselves, whether temples, palaces, monasteries, or stupas, still show the ingenuity and imagination of early Burmese sculptors and masons.

However, artistic expression in Myanmar has often been throttled back by various cultural influences that haven’t plagued Western artists in the same way.  While the Buddhist religion promotes peace and unity, the rules of modesty imposed by the religion have, in some cases, prevented artistic growth.  For example, painting nude forms is a problematic theme.  The expression of human nudity is frowned upon, and the Burmese people are culturally inclined to preserve norms and not to invite commotion.  These two themes together mean that certain topics, like nude human forms, will always be subverted.  Instead, painters in the region have learned to execute designs that are non-controversial, like landscapes, portraits of monks, religious themes, and market day scenes. 

To complicate matters further, the country has a tumultuous recent political history.  The military rule of Burma and Myanmar has, from time to time, forced isolation on the nation, restricting the amount of foreign artistic influence, and its corresponding growth, that could enter the arts scene.  The scope of the artwork in the country has been able to grow in terms of technique and execution, but there hasn’t been much in the way of pushing the envelope.

All of this may be headed toward change.  The country is more open to foreign visitors now than in recent history, the internet has permeated Myanmar, and there is a resurgence in the local gallery scene, focused in Yangon.  Many artists here are working hard to challenge the limits of the art scene in Myanmar, and to find a world stage for their work. 

These artists do not all fit into the “starving artist” stereotype.  Art tourists will find a variety of personas, from the 72-year-old retired math teacher Kyee Myintt Saw to the 37-year-old Nyein Chan Su.  These artists are in some cases running their own galleries, struggling to make enough sales to continue this as a career, and hoping to be discovered by the larger world.  And that recognition is coming.

One of the harbingers of change is the River Gallery.  Open for six years now, the gallery is right in the heart of Yangon, in the annex of the stately Strand Hotel (telephone 951-24-3377, x. 1821).  Owned and operated by a New Zealand expatriate, the gallery provides a showcase for new and established artists, and its location makes it easy to get high profile exposure.  Artists exhibited here include Zaw Win Pe and Mor Mor.  Ms. Mor’s painting “Next” won the 2008 Audience Choice Award at Hong Kong’s 2008 pan-Asian Sovereign Art Prize.

Other galleries in town are not so easy to find, but well worth the search.  The work of Aung Myint is featured in his own Inya Gallery, housed in a two-room garage.  Though the space is not prepossessing, the artist is internationally recognized.  In 2002 he became the first Burmese artist to win at the Asean Art Awards.  The nonprofit gallery and art school New Zero Art Space occupies two floors of an office building, but their limited real estate hasn’t stopped them from dreaming big.  Their new artist in residence program invites international artists to visit the location short term and to exchange ideas with local artists.  This type of grassroots involvement is working to undo the damage caused by years of cultural and political limitations on artistic expression.

All of these artists are working to improve the art scene in Myanmar, but they also share a dedication to preserving their culture.  Their culture and history live on in their artwork, and the influence of the past masters of the craft are visible in today’s works.  Min Wae Aung is an internationally acclaimed artist whose renditions of Buddhist monks sell for up to $20,000 USD in Hong Kong, London, and Paris.  With the absence of a national art museum in Myanmar, it has fallen to people like Mr. Aung to preserve the historic paintings of the nation.  He has a collection that he calls the “Old Burmese Masters”, and he is in construction on a new gallery to house them.  It will be finished directly adjacent his existing studio, New Treasure Art Gallery in Yangon.

It is interesting to see the revival of modern and impressionistic art in Myanmar.  After decades of repression from cultural and political forces, and the economic hardships that have accompanied many of the recent changes, what will end up on the canvas?  Environmental influences like these will leave an inspirational mark on the artists living in Myanmar.  It remains to be seen if the expression of these influences will ever be made clear to all, or if it will be veiled in clues and hints and metaphor.  In any case, the results are likely to be compelling.

Yangon Art Encounter
Much as Vietnam's now-flourishing art scene was a decade ago, Burmese artists are scattered across the city typically working out of their homes and there are only a handful of galleries yet they are begin to be noticed. During your time in Yangon, we can arrange private meeting these artists and gallery owners, including The River Valley, owned by New Zealander expat Gill Pattison is a obvious place to begin, centrally located in the Strand Annex, Ms. Patterson can also speak about here six years in Yangon and her experiences with the local artist community. An important stop in the community is a visit with Aung Myint in his Inya Gallery. Myint has exhibited since the 1960s and is considered a pioneer in experimental art, rejecting traditional romanticism and confronting social and critical issues through a range of distinctive styles and media. Aye Ko's New Zero Art Space features a wide range of Burmese artists and manages an artist-in-residence program, under which foreign artists visit and share ideas with Burmese art students.

Non-traditional galleries and artist studios around the city can also be visited by preference.