WHEN The Myanmar Times' Editor-in-Chief Ross Dunkley announced the winner of the 2008 Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards, 28-year-old artist Khin Zaw Latt says he was taken completely by surprise.

“I didn’t expect to win. I created the painting to my own taste and I didn’t believe that the judges would also like it,” he says. “I just wanted to show my work to the public.”

“Everyone was surprised because it’s a black and white painting but I think the judges could feel the message I wanted to get through in my work.”

He says the idea behind his winning piece, “Black and White”, came to him accidentally after he became bored painting the Buddha images he had built his reputation on.

“Whenever I feel bored and stressed, I usually spend my time cruising in Dala. When I saw people from Dala getting off the ferry to Yangon, I took the photos of this scene. I changed some angles and added my own creations though — it took about one to create,” he says.

Khin Zaw Latt says the colours were integral to his message.

“Most people in Dala are poor and honest. That’s why I chose black and white — to express their honesty.

The painting is the first in a series he has created for an exhibition he aims to hold this year, which will have the theme of people. He says he will only paint something if it still interests him. “If I feel bored painting people and find another interesting theme, I’ll focus on that instead.”

It marks a departure from his previous, Buddha-themed works that have seen Khin Zaw Latt hold exhibitions in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nepal, China and the USA.

He says the Sovereign Art Award, to be held in Hong Kong, is another step in achieving the success he is striving towards.

“In Myanmar, I am well known because of the honourable mention I got in the 2004 Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards. I can’t express how happy I am for this new recognition of my work but I realise I am still not yet successful,” he says.

“When I was in foreign countries, I met many young artists who are internationally recognised. They are about 24 or 25 so compared to me they are younger and have already achieved great success. So, I think I need to try a lot more to be successful.”