Filed under: exhibit | Tags: Art, ပန်းဆိုးတန်း, မြင့်စိုး, burma, burmese, myanmar, Myint Soe, painting, Pansodan Art Gallery, pansodan gallery
Ko Myint Soe has been drawing and painting since he was in middle school. He has been developing his own vision in the intervening years, and now he’s ready to show it to the world. Exhibition at Pansodan Gallery starts on May Day and runs through 5 May 2012, during the usual hours, 10-6, but also with the usual arty party with fantastic snacks and conversation on Tuesday night.
Filed under: info | Tags: art scene, Aung Soe Min, ကိုချို, ဧကဇာချို, burma, economy, Eikaza Cho, Esmer Golluoglu, Guardian, IMAA, Independent Myanmar Artist Association, Independent Myanmar Artists Alliance, lawkanat, lokanat, Pansodan Art Gallery, pansodan gallery, Rangoon, Richard Texier, Yangon
A recent article in The Guardian included Pansodan co-owner Aung Soe Min’s comments. He is in there as one of the ‘winners’ in the changing business environment.
Here’s to hopes that almost all the winners are Burmese, or at least that benefits are fairly divided among those who sincerely work hard for the success of an enterprise — and not ‘fairly’ in the sense of ‘they are poor so they get only a poor share and should be glad of it; we are rich so we are the ones who get the money’.
There has been plenty of research on quality of life that shows that it depends on the perception of having a meaning or purpose to one’s life, and a warm social life with friends and family. Yet, when it comes to development, it is all about money. There is even a new trend to look at migration as something entirely positive as a development process — people migrate to Dubai or Australia or wherever, earn vastly more (i.e., are vastly more productive in economics terms), send remittances home, and thus are creators of development. True enough in pure economics terms, but this ignores the sacrifices that the migrants are making in non-economic factors, and the loss of social capital in their home community. (I am a migrant myself, so obviously not against migration, but I do not like to see it portrayed in black-and-white terms.) We know migrants who are important artists in various fields in Burma, but as migrants work in factories or do other work entirely unrelated to their talents. Those of us remaining behind, who appreciated their art regret this change in the meaning of their lives.
Pansodan’s contribution to improve the life or artists in their own country is the Independent Myanmar Artist Alliance, mentioned in the Guardian article. It was the idea of Aung Soe Min, and is hosted by Pansodan Gallery. It is a new model of professional association — somewhat like a union, but without most of the bureaucracy and positions that, no matter how noble the initial ideas, later tend to be used for obstruction and gain, or simply to lose their dynamism.
A few new drawings of the Lokanat, spirit of peace through art, by Eikaza Cho.
Filed under: exhibit | Tags: သန်းမြင့်အောင်, burma, burmese art, burmese painter, burmese painting, landscape, myanmar, myanmar art, myanmar artist, myanmar painter, myanmar painting, painting, plein air, portrait, than myint aung
Once there as a man with a heart forged 
by a love of nature, beauty, and art.
In his life journey he poured his awe forth in paintings and poems.
This is his last artscape.
တစ်ခါတုန်းက သူ့နှလုံးသားကို သဘာဝတရား၊ အလှတရားနဲ့ အနုပညာတို့ကို ချစ်မြတ်နိုးခြင်းနဲ့ သွန်းလောင်းသွားတဲ့ လူတစ်ယောက် ရှိခဲ့ပါတယ်။
သူ့ရဲ့ ဘဝခရီးလမ်းတစ်လျှောက်မှာလည်း ပန်းချီကားတွေ၊ ကဗျာတွေကို အံ့ဘွယ် ပြန်လည်သွန်းလောင်းသွားခဲ့တယ်။
ဒါဟာ သူသွန်းလောင်းသွားခဲ့တဲ့ အနုပညာများရဲ့ နောက်ဆုံးပြပွဲပါပဲ။
Ko Than Myint Aung was our friend, and we were shocked at his early death in May this year. We have gathered as many of his paintings as we can to have a retrospective of his work, which is inspired by his awe for the beauty of nature, and shows his genial character. We open the exhibition with respect and sorrow from 14 to 19 July 2010.
To see many more of his works, and more information about him, see his page at the Heriot-Grant Gallery. For availability and pricing of the paintings you see here or to see more, email suriyagallery at gmail dot com
Filed under: exhibit | Tags: စိုးနိုင်, burma, chath piersath, Douglas Long, erin gleeson, nats, net, phnom penh, sa sa bassac, soe naing, soe naing burma, soe naing myanmar, soe naing painter, spirit, vahana, vahanas
“It is only when you are eager to paint, and are free of grief and greed, healthy, and with the mind at peace, that you are in the frame of mind to accept uncertainty.” -Soe Naing
The Soe Naing and Chath Piersath exhibtion at the French Cultural Centre in Phnom Penh has closed. Many thanks to Erin Gleeson for making it happen. 
You can read about the painter in this article by Douglas Long in the Phnom Penh Post: Myanmar painter uses canvas to open gateway into the spirit world.
A quote from the article:
The paintings are rendered in thick dollops and sweeping swathes of paint that are placed on the canvas with a palette knife rather than a brush. Seeing the grain of the strokes, it is easy to visualise the artist’s vigorous gestures as he worked. The colours are often fresh and cheerful, standing in opposition to any sense of pessimism.
One visitor from Myanmar who viewed the exhibition last week said the colours were vivid enough to evoke more than just the visual experience of the nat pwe.
“When I see these paintings I hear the music of the nat pwe. I think [Soe Naing] expresses sounds through bright colours,” said Aye Sapay Pyu, on a month-long visit to Phnom Penh.
The nat pwe act as a gateway to the spirit world, and the figures are clearly from a place that is not our own, a realm populated by hermaphrodites, humanoid figures bearing sword-like weapons, and in one instance a horse and rider galloping across a black void.
The source of the otherworldly quality of these paintings is best explained by Soe Naing himself. Although he doesn’t claim to be channelling nats while he paints, he admits that the creative process is akin to being possessed by a spirit not beholden to the dictates of reason.
“Nats are in a state of trance;I am too, and so are my little humans. Nats are dynamic. I am in motion, too. so are my little humans,” he said.
Here is more about his thought and work on Yadanapura. An in-depth interview with him should be coming out in about a week, I will link to it here when it is online.
Here you can find an essay about him: A volcano exploding inside; a glacier flowing smoothly.
More works on paper can be viewed here. Contact us through the comments for availability and prices.
Filed under: art and ideas | Tags: autobiography, burma, judyth gregory-smith, mo tejani, myanmar, travelogue
The next Art and Ideas evening will start at 5pm on Sunday, 16 August. There will be two authors speaking and reading from their work, Mo Tejani and Judyth Gregory–Smith.
Along with an evening with two very funny, very friendly writers, you can enjoy my newest bright blue herbal tea.
Judyth Gregory–Smith A trishaw called Kinny: journeys in Myanmar
Ms Gregory–Smith is a veteran travel journalist with numerous publications in international periodicals, and two books on Sulawesi — Sulawesi: Ujung Pandang to Kendari and Southeast Sulawesi – Islands of Surprises.
‘A Trishaw called Kinny: Journeys in Myanmar’ is an intimate, detailed travelogue packed with first-hand information. One theme of the book is royal cities. She explores and tells about their fascinating histories: numerous royal wives, abundant royal children and the massacre by each new king of his relatives to thwart any pretenders to the throne.
Her sharp observations and wit are put to good use in modern Myanmar, so different from its neighbours.
When she was planning a trip to Myanmar, she had tried to buy such a book to supplement the guide-books, but there were no travelogues later than the beginning of the 20th century. The books she could find were mainly on the political situation. Perhaps as a result, she the trip ended up being rich in unintended adventure travel experience. And soon there will be such a book.
Quote from ‘A Trishaw called Kinny: Journeys in Myanmar’
Richard and I first visited Myanmar, then called Burma, in 1987. Our passions were travel, nature, birds, other cultures and each other. The list is not in order. We were on leave from the Australian High Commission in Papua New Guinea.
“Wouldn’t it be good to see what my opposite number is doing in the Embassy in Burma?’ he’d said, which in Richard-speak really meant ‘Wouldn’t it be good to traipse through jungles and swamps to study Burma’s rainforest birds and animals.’Richard’s opposite number in Burma was on my side. He arranged civilized visits to the Strand, the Shwedagon, Pegu, Pagan and Mandalay. No swamps. The powers-that-were permitted a visa for only two-weeks, but that was enough to fall in love with the country.
We vowed to return. And I did. Alone. Richard died in 2001. Had it not been for my daughter, I might not have returned. Fiona and her partner Patrick work for the International Committee of the Red Cross and were posted there. To spend time with them and my grandchildren, I would return to Myanmar.
This book – a geographical, historical and personal journey – also charts my own journey of recovery and self-discovery after the death of Richard. I travel alone throughout Myanmar visiting not only the well-known pagodas and monasteries, but also isolated villages, farming communities and schools. I use public transport, stay at family-run guesthouses and meet with the local people who are rich in culture, but poor in material possessions.
Mo Tejani A Chameleon’s Tale: true stories of a global refugee
Mohezin (“Mo”) Tejani—an Indian Shia Muslim by
a chameleon's tale, design by Doug Morton, 72 Studio
Over the last five years, Mo has returned to his childhood passion–writing. The first volume of his memoirs, “A Chameleon’s Tale: True Stories of a Global Refugee” is a reflection of his life of travel and the continued search for a place he can call home. As one reviewer noted, Tejani is “a cross-cultural Jack Kerouac”
Mo currently resides in Chiang Mai, Thailand and writes feature articles, poetry, and essays for various magazines worldwide. A Chameleon’s Tale was chosen as a finalist for a PEN Book Award in 2007. In 2004, his “stalking interview” in Bangkok with Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul appeared in Untamed Travel Magazine, distributed all over Southeast Asia. The second volume of his travel memoirs, Global Crossroads, due for publication in 2010, focuses on the psychological alienation of exile and ultimately the liberation from his own cultural chains.
Quote from A Chameleon’s Tale
Children were everywhere in the streets of Vietnam…. On the sandy beach, a grouop of five cornered me: two boys with Chiclets and imported cigarettes, adn three girls with fresh pineapples, oranges, and dragon fruit, all in season…. On a whim, I decided to try an experiment with [the] gang of entrepreneurs.
“If I promise to buy two things from each of you, you must agree to play on the beach for the next two hours. Okay?”
They all looked at mu suspiciously at first. The questions were endless. What was I up to? How could they be sure I would keep my promise at the end of the two hours? What if their mothers caught them playing on the beach and not selling their quota for the day? They must leave before five o’clock for Hoi An City Hall to sell to the workers on their way home.
Once assured that I was sincere in my offer, they had a private meeting among themselves. When they came back, Tranh mad eme specify the two things I would buy from each of them, the price I would pay for each item, and when the playing time would be over. Finally, after twenty minutes, we concluded our negotiations.
Twenty minutes. Smiles all around. Back in 1973, it took Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho twenty days — while the killing continued on both sides — to agree on which directions the tables they sat at would face during the peace treaty in Paris. Later that year, both men were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the end of the war. Kissinger accepted the award; Le Duc Tho did not.
Read reviews of the book in the Chiang Mai Mail here, and in Book Review Journal here.
About the event
As always, a portion of the sales from the event will be donated to local organisation Cultural Canvas, which provides art experiences for disadvantaged children in and around Chiang Mai.
Location: click me for google map
Find Suriya Gallery in the western part of Chiang Mai, Thailand near Chiang Mai University, on Huay Kaew Road. It is at No. 2, Hotel Bua Luang, Soi Bua Luang (the same soi as Holiday Garden), off Huay Kaew Road. Look for the spray-paint Suriya Art Gallery sign before you get to the hotel gate, or park in the Nice Nails/Mr Chan and Miss Pauline’s Pizza parking lot at the mouth of the soi, and walk through the gate, keeping to the left, to No. 2.
Filed under: art and ideas, food | Tags: burma, censorship, jacqueline suter, modern art, myanmar
Hide and Seek: Social Commentary in Contemporary Burmese Art
See the Chiang Mai Mail’s write-up of the talk here.
As always, ten per cent of any art sales, and 20 per cent of any other sales will be donated to a local organisation, Cultural Canvas, to provide art experiences for the children of migrants in Chiang Mai.
This event is free and open to all.
Filed under: art and ideas | Tags: alexandra green, anein, bagan, burma, jataka, mural, myanmar, pagan, temple painting, thai, theravada buddhism
Alexandra Green gave an illustrated talk exploring the Buddhist subject matter of Thai and Burmese wall paintings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A summary of the talk as written up in the Chiang Mai Mail newspaper is here.
The murals are largely composed of illustrations of the Jataka stories, the life of Gotama Buddha, the spiritual planes of the universe which address the concept of rebirth, celestial beings, mythical creatures, and Himavanta Forest. Delving into the layout of the wall paintings, the significance of the images is revealed. The imagery is more complex than immediately apparent. Strong links to popular beliefs emerge, even in the context of sacred stories.
You can read Dr Green’s research on paintings at Tilokaguru cave-temple in Sagaing online in the SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research here.
Her most recent book is Eclectic Collecting: Art from Burma in the Denison Museum.
Alexandra Green is research assistant professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Hong Kong, where she is working on a book on Burmese murals and a project comparing Thai and Burmese wall paintings. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Green was director and curator of Asian Art at the Denison Museum at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, USA. Besides publishing articles on Burmese murals, she has also edited two volumes on Burmese art, including “Burma: Art and Archaeology” for the British Museum Press and “Eclectic Collecting: Art from Burma in the Denison Museum”, published by Singapore University Press. Dr. Green’s Ph.D. is from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, UK.
As always, ten per cent of any art sales, and 20 per cent of any other sales will be donated to a local organisation, Cultural Canvas, to provide art experiences for the children of migrants in Chiang Mai. Or choose to donate to a fund to provide medical care to people crossing the border for medical care. See one case at homepage.mac.com/inkish/Pansodan/AnipoAppeal.ppt.htm
Suriya Art Gallery, No. 2, Hotel Bua Luang, Soi Bua Luang (the same soi as Holiday Garden, off Huay Kaew Road. Look for the spray-paint Suriya Art Gallery sign before you get to the hotel gate, or park in the Nice Nails/Mr Chan and Miss Pauline’s Pizza parking lot and walk through the gate to No. 2)
For info: suriyagallery@gmail.com
