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 Reprinted from the summer 2005 edition of Private Capital.
For a country that has spent the better years of half a century in isolated wilderness, the contemporary painting of Burma (Myanmar) has an almost surprisingly modern feel and a highly original aura. That is more surprising when it is considered that foreign influences and techniques have been in short supply in recent times.
Like the French impressionist movement around 150 years ago and the contemporary new wave of Chinese artists to emerge, modern day Burmese art is defined by a world in the midst of change, but heavily steeped in tradition. Whereas, traditional iconography remains a conspicuous aspect of the medium, the movement now operates under the modern guise where subjects such as Buddhism clash with the unwinding urban sprawl of the nation's capital, Yangon. On the flip side, this is an art world that is still very much reliant on the master-pupil system where narrative is constructed by environment and rather uninfluenced by the outside world.
The paintings of Myanmar are not yet at the commoditized stage of neighbouring Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam or Thailand, but due to the uniqueness of the vision, one gets the feeling that a similar evolution could be in the pipeline. However, the relative isolation of the individual artists and collectives operating in the country makes Burmese painting too distinctive for the mass market - for the time being.
The history of Burmese art has rich parallels with the cultural and colonial history of the former British enclave. From beginnings in the Stone Age through the colonial era, Burmese painting has been largely influenced by the mesh of Buddhist devotional images from neighbouring India and Siam and predominately the surrounding environment.
With the rise of the Bagan dynasty (10th-11th century AD), paintings emerged on temple walls and following an evolution of skill, artists eventually began to compose devotional images on mediums such as wood and cloth. The tradition of wall painting continued for centuries through various dynasties and in due course, spread to palm leaf manuscript painting and then lacquer. Wide scale use of the paper and canvass medium soon followed.
Perhaps the most significant change in the painting of Burma occurred from the late 18th century through to the late 19th century when royal patronage came to the forefront and foreign influences began infiltrating the previously clandestine sector. European influences started emerging in traditional narratives and with the onset of the British colonial era, watercolours arrived.
However, devotional and objective narrative remained the primary subject matter throughout the age of British rule - which instituted large-scale education of painting - with traditional Buddhist images, scenes of water buffalo and agrarian life pervading the canon.
Tradition remains a sizable force in the works of contemporary Burmese artists and unlike master works from Vietnam, are reflective of the native eye rather than Western. Narratives depicting iconic Buddhist tales or scenes of rural life have remained as they did 100 years prior, but unorthodox mediums such as mixed media and collage have emerged as the new delineation of choice. Limited access to the art and lack of Western supplies and influences has also led Burmese art to exist as a largely autonomous beast, free from the post-modern meddling of outside influences that plague "orientalized" pieces across the region. Quite frankly, curators suggest that unless you've visited Burma, the scenes would appear foreign.
Perhaps one justification for the purity of Burmese painting compared with other regional art movements is the master-pupil relationship that exists in the country. Unlike the academy-driven tutorial relationships of early 18th century Europe and factory-like painting scene presently at work around the region, Burma's apprentices are collected by an established master artist, which fills the void of institutionalised art education in the country. In essence, a master will form a group, with patronage from apprentices, and formulate a style, help with exhibitions and provide accommodation to the understudies.
In recent years, collectives such as the isolated Mandalay Artists Community (whose membership consists of poets and journalists among others) have sprung up to create abstract art and work under the master-student system. Consisting of graduates of the Mandalay Academy of Art and discovered by a Swiss national in Beijing, the community is led by Myo Khin and includes regarded students Zim Lin Yu and Jasmine (named after the master's favourite flower). Works like Myo Khin's Four Seasons (2003) evoke the abstraction applauded by the group, presenting a typical Burmese environmental narrative under the guise patched brushstrokes and pockets of luminosity.
However, the majority of renowned Burmese paintings do follow the individual path, rather than aligning themselves communes or sizable artist groups. In recent years, artists such as Min Wae Aung and Nay Myo Say have attracted significant attention for their depictions of a culture secluded from the outside world and untapped by art collectors/lovers.
A visit to the US in 1993 encouraged Min Wae Aung to employ a more contemporary style on native subject matters. Although one of the least abstract masters to emerge from the contemporary Burma art scene, Min Wae Aung has found a legion of fans among art aficionados from the US to Japan for his lush sun-drenched depictions of local monks in non-devotional positions.
The underlying characteristic of Min Wae's signature series is the hallmark of the monks walking away. According to the artist himself, the face tells an immediate story, but seen from the back, the mystery about the person is not so easily revealed. Presently, his pieces retail for $6,000 to $15,000 depending on the size and come with the reputation as one of Burma's most internationally renowned and exhisssbited artists, and one of the nation's most copied.
Exploring the mixed media angle to a greater extent, Nay Myo Say has also been exposed heavily around the planet, featuring in exhibitions in Singapore and London among others. A qualified medical doctor, Nay Myo Say has crossed the periphery of traditional devotional subjects of Burmese culture, by combining Buddhist iconography and Pali script with untraditional mediums such as collage, photography and watery acrylic.
Boundaries have also been pushed through the juxtaposition of Buddha worship with untraditional Burmese devotional forms such as dancing and singing. Described by Nay Myo Say as Natri Puji (a Pali combination meaning to worship Buddha with art), the artist incorporates his own black and white photography and glues them on the canvas before achieving a chiaroscuro effect of light and dark with charcoals, fluid acrylic and gold leaf.
Compositions such as Natri Puja 1 and 2 (2004) illustrate the clash of devotional with non-devotional, while his dancers series merges traditionally dressed Burmese ladies in Degas-esque poses over a series of glued collages.
Interest in contemporary Burmese art is expanding, judging by the increased international exhibitions of selected works and the ongoing emergence of private collectors. Domestically and globally, prices have undoubtedly increased over time and with more Burmese painters stamping their unique footprint on the Asian art scene, prices will likely appreciate with time.
And with increased international prices, the quality of canvases, paints and materials will only improve, thus separating the masterpieces of modern Burmese art from the mass-produced works that will inevitably flood the streets of Yangon.
Photos courtesy of Karin Weber Gallery, 20 Aberdeen Street, Soho, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2544 5004
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