Htein Lin uses anything but a paintbrush to create his colourful pieces, on display in London until October 30.

ARTIST Htein Lin is at it again, holding a solo exhibition at London’s Asia House from July 27 to October 30 after his hit show at the Venice Biennale this year.

It will feature 60 of his paintings from a range of series he completed between 1998 and 2004.

The unconventional artist said he is experimenting with new ways of painting on cotton without using a brush. So far he has used plastic, soap, leaves and plates as well as syringes and a cigarette lighter.

‘’When I used instruments like the syringe I had to change my style of painting,” he said. “The paint sprays quickly from the syringe, so in my self portrait I had to choose the lines that best reflected my face and smudge them thicker. I highlighted my eyes with the tops of medicine bottles. The remaining lines look like a net in which I have been captured like a fish. The background was painted blue with a toothbrush.”

While working on the paintings Htein Lin said he had no idea if they would ever be exhibited; he simply wanted to paint as honestly as possible to reflect his life and thoughts.

“Because they are so real they have developed a life of their own. Now I feel as if they have organised their own exhibition in London without even needing me. I’m just following them,” he said.

The artist also par-ticipated in a group show titled Asia-Europe Med-iations in Poznan, Poland last month. His works sat alongside those from China, Korea, India, Japan, Thailand and Singapore.

“There were paintings made of tea, photographs, video art, performance and, my favourite, installations of boots, knives and guns all covered in hair by Chinese artist Wu Gaozhong. My paintings looked traditional in comparison. But the European side was a bit boring. It was mostly just videos and photos. The Asian side was much more exciting.”

He has also participated in a group show titled Momentum III in London with four other artists, including two from Myanmar, Tin Tin Sann and Khin Myint, from July 9 to 14.