Artist Mor Mor (R) won the Audience Choice Prize for her painting ‘Next’ at the prestigious Hong Kong Sovereign Art Award. The artist was accompanied by Gill Pattison (L) of River Gallery, Yangon. Pic: Christopher Davy

“THE crowd went wild – when the announcer said ‘Mor Mor from Myanmar’, there was clapping and cheering, people standing up – we were all so proud,” says Gill Pattison, manager of Yangon’s River Gallery.

Ms Pattison accompanied young artist Mor Mor to the Sovereign Art Award gala dinner in Hong Kong on October 29, where the 29-year-old from Yangon won the Audience Choice Prize. Her painting, “Next”, received the most votes from the general public, through the Sovereign Art Foundation website and at the exhibition of finalists, and was later sold for a “significant” amount at auction.

Accompanied might not be the right word though, given the reaction to Mor Mor’s win.

“At the event, it was like being a minder to a rock star,” Ms Pattison says, laughing. “Everyone was coming up wanting to congratulate her, shake her hand, tell her how much they love the painting. It was fantastic.”

“The painting in its own right was a very popular choice but I think the fact she’s a young, female artist from Myanmar was just another positive for people. They were really happy to see some good news come out of Myanmar. People were surprised and delighted.”

“We don’t know how many votes Mor Mor got but one of the organisers told me that she was a clear winner. And it was very obvious on the night that she was the clear favourite.

“It was a painting a lot of people connected with. A lot of the work in the finals was really ‘out there’ and I think for that really cutting edge work much of it is a minority taste,” Ms Pattison says, pointing to a painting called “Octopus Boy”, by Malaysian Kiew Hang Hoo.

“Whereas Mor Mor’s painting had very wide appeal. We could hear that people were admiring the technical skill in the painting, which wasn’t really as much a feature of the other paintings. And they liked the idea, it really teased the imagination. So it was a combination of an interesting, beguiling idea together with flawless execution.”

The grand prize and US$25,000 winners’ cheque was won by Hong Kong artist Chow Chun Fai for his piece “Once a Thief: ‘Any Self-Respecting Thief Would Be Proud to Steal This Painting’”. Mor Mor describes the winning piece as “clever”, while Ms Pattison says it is “whimsical – it makes you grin”.

Mor Mor’s win in Hong Kong continues the success of her water drop series, which Ms Pattison says “has great commercial appeal”. An exhibition is now planned for Hong Kong but, given the popularity of her paintings, it might take some time to put enough works together.

“These paintings have all already been bought by local customers,” Mor Mor says, flicking through an album of her artworks. “It’s hard to say how long each painting takes, anywhere from one week to one month.”

“I will continue with the water drop theme until I am bored with it and then I’ll move on. It depends on my feeling, I’m not sure yet.”

Ms Pattison says Mor Mor’s win will be beneficial for the art community as well as the Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards. All 32 finalists – including “Next” – from the MCAA 2008 were entered into the Sovereign Art Prize.

“The response from the art community when they heard the news has been fantastic. Everyone is so pleased for Mor Mor and what I sense is there seems to be a feeling of collective achievement. People are very proud, proud of her, and also think it’s great for Myanmar art and reflects well on the whole art community here,” Ms Pattison says. “And I would agree; I think it’s raised the awareness of Myanmar contemporary art in the wider art world.”