Burmese Contemporary Art's Evolution from 1980s Isolation to International Recognition
Despite years of isolation, contemporary art in Myanmar has flourished, with trailblazers such as Po Po exhibiting in Yangon since 1987. The global art conversation was notably impacted by the 1989 exhibition 'Magiciens de la terre' in Paris. In 1998, Ma Thanegi introduced the first English-language publication on Myanmar's contemporary art in The Arts Magazine. Following the relaxation of censorship and sanctions in 2012, the art scene has experienced significant growth, with representation in institutions like the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. The 2010 exhibition 'plAy: Art from Myanmar Today' in Singapore featured thirteen artists. Yangon continues to be a central hub, with venues such as New Zero Art Space, where artists like Po Po and Min Thein Sung confront challenges while offering critical insights into their work.
Key facts
- Po Po's 1987 solo exhibition 'Untitled' in Yangon featured 31 non-objective canvases and 6 installations, extended due to overwhelming response.
- The first English-language text on Burmese contemporary art was published in 1998 by Ma Thanegi in The Arts Magazine.
- Sanctions eased and censorship restrictions lifted in 2012, ushering in exponential growth for Burmese contemporary art.
- The 2010 exhibition 'plAy: Art from Myanmar Today' at Osage Gallery in Singapore was the first major international showcase featuring thirteen artists.
- Burmese contemporary art is now represented at institutions including Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, and National Gallery Singapore.
- Artists Po Po, Tun Win Aung, Wah Nu, and Min Thein Sung maintain critical detachment from local art collectives, cultivating autonomous practices.
- Min Thein Sung states that artists in Myanmar learn to design, make, and fix exhibition installations themselves due to lack of professionals.
- The term 'contemporary art' in Myanmar can refer to anything created in the present or the last century, with no distinction from modernism in some publications.
Entities
Artists
- Po Po
- Tun Win Aung
- Wah Nu
- Min Thein Sung
- San Minn
- Ma Thanegi
- Aung Myint
- M. P. P. Yei Myint
- Bagyi Aung Soe
- Maung Wunna
- Aung Ko
- Nge Lay
- Phyoe Kyi
- May Phue Thet
- Kaung Tha
- Wolfgang Laib
- Paul Gauguin
- General Aung San
- Charles Gorham
- W. Somerset Maugham
- T.K. Sabapathy
- Carol Yinghua Lu
- Hans Belting
- Terry Smith
- Yin Ker
- Ute Meta Bauer
- Brigitte Oetker
- Jacob Birken
- Andrea Buddensieg
- Peter Weibel
- Isabel Ching
- Lilian Kalish
- Maung Maung
Institutions
- Afterall
- University of Yangon
- Centre Georges Pompidou
- Grand Halle at Parc de la Villette
- The Arts Magazine
- The Esplanade
- Gangaw Village
- Studio Square
- New Zero Art Space
- National University of Art and Culture
- Osage Gallery
- Osage Art Foundation
- Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
- Mori Art Museum
- National Gallery Singapore
- Queensland Art Gallery
- Singapore Art Museum
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Myanm/art
- Secretariat
- Mingun Museum of Contemporary Art
- Thuyedan Art Event
- Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture
- State School of Fine Arts
- Judson Church Centre
- Atelier Hermès
- Fondation d'entreprise Hermès
- Marlar Art Centre
- Flying Circus Project
- Samdani Art Foundation
- TheArt.com
- Sternberg Press
- Hatje Cantz
- Springer
- ARTnews
- 3-ACT: 9-issue Cinema Magazine
- Pyinsa Rasa Art Space
- The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
- Roots
- Third Text
- ASEAN
Locations
- Myanmar
- Yangon
- Paris
- France
- Singapore
- Brisbane
- Australia
- Fukuoka
- Tokyo
- Japan
- New York
- United States
- Hong Kong
- Dhaka
- Bangladesh
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Mingun
- Sagaing
- Wamdwin
- Naypyidaw
- Ayeyarwady River
- Tahiti
- Dordrecht
- Netherlands
- Ostfildern
- Germany
- Berlin
Sources
- Afterall —