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Old artistic habits hamper creativity

FOR some cultured individuals familiar with the capricious world of 21st century art, a trip to the New Treasure Art Gallery in Golden Valley offers little more than the prospect of seasoned Myanmar technicians flaunting their mastery of oil paint or watercolour in realist depictions of traditional Myanmar subject matter.

In a world where art markets are on the look out for originality — for artists that go beyond what is conventional or expected — romanticised landscapes of ox-carts in villages, local market scenes, golden stupas, and women laundering clothes beside placid lakes in Shan State may seem a little antiquated. So too the system of hierarchy in which older “master” artists hold priority in galleries owing more to their seniority than the quality of their art.
Tourists may be happy with their pleasant souvenirs and wealthy Myanmar families with the nice ornamentation they can hang in their homes but Myanmar artists’ singular focus on cultural history and tradition, and the lack of exposure to the international art scene, is hindering the development of contemporary art here.

The owners of New Treasure Art Gallery, renowned Myanmar artist, Min Wae Aung, and his wife, Daw Than Than Maw, make no secret that Myanmar is years behind other nations in contemporary art. Daw Than Than Maw told The Myanmar Times: “You and I both know that art here is lagging behind, but some artists don’t like cont-emporary or abstract art at all. Some eventually adapt their style to be modern, but others are obstinate and don’t want to change.

“They paint in the style of realism because they like realism. But some artists do so because realist paintings of Myanmar objects sell well.”

U Tin Win, owner of Beik Thano Gallery shares a similar opinion. He said that more foreign visitors to his gallery purchase art Myanmar, with many preferring paintings of famous landmarks and places they have visited. The result is a greater inclination towards well-executed realist paintings of the Shwedagon Pagoda over subject matter more ambitious.

“Not a lot of people buy modern [art]. At our gallery, buyers don’t like it much. They see abstract art and run away!” explained Daw Than Than Maw, laughing half-joking-half-serious.

The limited economic means of most Myanmar people has also had an effect on the development of art, said U Tin Win, who claims that the majority of Myanmar households do not own artworks.

For those that can afford to buy art, there seems little interest in developing a greater understanding of art said the gallery owner, who is also an artist in his own right.

“Local business people have started to purchase art in recent years but they don’t bother themselves with the style of art or the artwork itself.

Instead, they just pick the name of an artist, as is the case with many art collectors in the rest of the world.

For example, a business-man may like master impressionist U Lun Gywe for his name, and he will go to U Lun Gywe’s exhibition to purchase a piece to hang in his workplace. They tend to purchase art within a select circle of famous artists.”

Nevertheless, the rise in art collectors is a positive step for Myanmar’s art scene. Daw Than Than Maw said that she knows about 10 Myanmar who are avid collectors of art and that more and more people are developing a taste for it.

Her husband, Min Wae Aung — who boasts an array of oils and watercolours by old masters — believes that every artist should have a personal style and focus.

“In 1993, I went to the US for a month. The next year, I went to Japan for a month-long workshop. When I came back, I realised that I needed my own trademark and style, so I decided to develop a focus,” he said

The artist, who was featured in The Wall Street Journal in May, is known for his paintings of monks in maroon robes walking into the distance on sumptuously coloured backgrounds, inspired by the monastic lifestyle he experienced growing up in a monastery as a young boy.

Min Wae Aung’s paintings are widely considered to symbolise the essence of Myanmar and the spirit of Theravada Buddhism. However, unlike other artists that also make use of traditional subject matter, Min Wae Aung’s paintings stand out because of their abstract style and signature consistency.

“I’ve gone out [to other countries], so I really saw things. I had more exposure, so I know what’s going on out there. Foreign galleries like contemporary art with a unique style. They also don’t like it if your works are similar to works they already have. You have to use your culture to make it contemporary.”

While Min Wae Aung’s works may hang in galleries all over the world, and his paintings sell for tens of thousands of dollars, the same cannot be said for the majority of Myanmar artists who face challenges — not only artistic — in creating contemporary art works that speak of life in Myanmar now.

Jorn Middelborg, managing director of Bangkok’s Thavibu Gallery, which exhibits contemporary art from Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, said via e-mail: “There is some interest in Myanmar contemporary art; less than for Thai, Indonesian, and Philippino art, but more than Lao and Cambodian.”

The gallery’s cont-emporary focus precludes “traditional-looking Myanmar art such as landscapes or Buddha images”, Mr Middel-borg explained, yet if an artist creates a contemporary interpretation of a traditional subject then it will be considered for inclusion in the gallery.

However, Mr Middelborg does not believe that the pressure on Myanmar artists to create traditional paintings is hindering the country’s ability to produce good cont-emporary art.

“Contemporary artists naturally carry their culture with them, and it will directly or indirectly influence their works,” he said.
Last year, Thavibu Gallery hosted a show called “Speaking Alone” that exhibited contemporary Myanmar art.

“’Speaking Alone’ was a very well-received show due to the quality of the artworks themselves. It was mostly new media works, and little painting technique was utilised. There is some Burmese-ness to the works, but mostly in their inspiration, though not so obvious in the final product,” said Mr Middelborg.

The exhibition featured video, graphic, print and collage works by artists Nyein Chan Su, Aung Myint, Phyu Mon and Aye Ko. Mr Middelborg argued that the principle difference between the contemporary works exhibitied and most other Myanmar art is that the contemporary artists were seeking to convey a message rather than create an object of beauty or ornamentation. There is “little overlap between them”, he said.

Nann Nann, a young contemporary artist, believes that a lack of knowledge of contemporary art and a lack of exposure to the global art scene is disadvantaging for young Myanmar artists. She attended the State School of Fine Arts in Yangon, where she learned life drawing, anatomy, Myanmar traditional floral patterns, still-life and landscape drawing. Exploration was not on the curriculum, she said. By teaching art classes to young children at her studio, however, Nann Nann believes she is doing her part to broaden the scope of what art can be for young artists.

Since an early age, Nann Nann knew she didn’t want to be like other artists. “I’m bored with being normal”, she said, “I’m fascinated by the thought ‘What the hell is this?’ Now, people are starting to like ‘different’, because more and more people are creating art that is ‘different’.”

She is known for her use of gold leaf in massive, abstract pieces, and like Min Wae Aung, she captures a Burmese-ness in her works.

“Gold leaf is hand-made and they [buyers] like it because it’s Myanmar. It’s nice! I like it too. I enjoy creating art that feels Myanmar, that breathes Burmese-ness, so that people know, this is Myanmar. I was born here, and my grandparents are Myanmar.”

“I learned ba-bu (sculpture). One day, I finished a perfect face, and I was angry, so I punched it downward with my fist. Boing!” she said, gesturing.

“The face became distorted, and it was art. Art is newness, confidence, and it’s not always beautiful.”

Nann Nann is currently working on a video art series called “A Cup for Human”, which explores the human soul and spirit, her identity and experiences.

Although the art scene may not be moving as quickly here as in other countries, U Tin Win believes that Myanmar artists are gradually embracing new forms of art.

“Things have changed. It’s not just paper, print and canvas art, there’s perf-ormance art, installations, the use of ordinary objects, and the inclusion of the artist himself.”

He added: “In other countries, there are international organisations that sponsor performances and installations. You propose your art work and they support you financially. They also allow you to travel to other countries like the US,

Germany, or Japan. But new media is a long way away for Myanmar. It’ll take some time for people here to grasp and understand it. Abstract paintings on canvas are acceptable, but I think it stops there.”

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