Burmese performance artist Aye Ko wins 2017 Joseph Balestier Award for Freedom of Art

Aye Ko, a performance artist from Burma, was awarded the Joseph Balestier Award for the Freedom of Art in 2017, which comes with a $15,000 cash prize. This accolade is given by the United States Embassy in Singapore in collaboration with Art Stage Singapore. Aye Ko intends to allocate the funds towards art education initiatives for children through his nonprofit, New Zero Art Space, established in Yangon in 2008. He was chosen from a pool of three finalists, including Arahmaiani and Chaw Ei Thein, by a jury featuring Ute Meta Bauer, Zoe Butt, and Enin Supriyanto. The award, created in 2015, recognizes Southeast Asian artists or curators dedicated to artistic freedom, a notion that faced initial doubt in Singapore. Previous winners include FX Harsono in 2015 and Lee Wen in 2016. Aye Ko shifted from impressionistic painting to performance art after being imprisoned as a political prisoner from 1990 to 1993, believing that performance art allows for a more impactful engagement with Myanmar's socio-political landscape.