Filed under: exhibit | Tags: Abby Robinson, burma, installation, interactive art, myanmar, pansuriya, photography, Yangon
I had heard about Abby Robinson’s body imaging project and knew that I wanted to go check it out, both to get photographed and to see what others had chosen to photograph of themselves. I was curious to see what patterns would emerge in the choices people made about showing off their bodies, especially in such a public place.
I stopped by Pansuriya early in the afternoon and was quickly handed a clipboard to fill out by the attendant “nurse”. The form asked me basic questions, including my preferred name and email address, before asking several questions about how many times I had been photographed recently and how I felt about being photographed.
I was told that there were several people ahead of me in line, and so I ordered lunch while I waited and checked out the wall displaying the photographs taken so far. Many people had chosen parts of their faces; features that they are already used to showing to the world. A few people had chosen their hands, posing them to accentuate the fingers or wrists. Occasionally, people had photographed an interesting piercing or tattoo, choosing to display the various ways that they had modified their bodies.
I was soon called into the “office”: an area separated from the restaurant by several white sheets. I handed my clipboard to Abby, dressed in a doctor’s white coat, and we discussed what body part I wanted photographed. I chose my left shoulder, which is covered with a smattering of dark freckles, and Abby led me into another ‘room’, which was set up as a studio. She adjusted the lighting and fiddled with her camera, angling for a more high-contrast shot. The results were automatically uploaded to her computer, where she was able to skillfully edit them as I watched. The photos were then printed onto two sheets, which Abby placed into lanyards. One, I got to keep, but the other I taped onto the wall, where it is hanging amidst a growing constellation of other people’s chosen body parts.
Filed under: exhibit, performance | Tags: Abby Robinson, Art, Body Imaging, burma, myanmar, pansuriya, Yangon
Abby Robinson lives in NYC and teaches at the School of Visual Arts (NYC) in both the BFA Photography & Video and Graphic Design & Advertising Departments. Once upon a time she worked for a detective and, slippery, mysterious stuff continues to inform her photographs.
Robinson, who likes to stare and to travel, has had many of her projects have been done with the help of grants from the Asian Cultural Council, the Fulbright Program, the American Institute of Sri Lankan Studies, the Siskind Foundation, the Art Production Fund, and New York Foundation of the Arts. There have been shows in the US and abroad and she’s been fortunate to have also had a number of terrific residencies: Yaddo, MacDowell, VCCA, Light Works, Altos de Chavon (Dominican Republic), Three Shadows (Beijing) and New Zero Art Space (Yangon). Her photos are in the collections of The Whitney Museum (NYC), the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX), the Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), and Light Works (Syracuse, NY).
Abby Robinson’s first body imaging project started in 2009 at a home-based installation in Manhattan, then travelled in 2010 to Shanghai, was seen again in 2012 in New York, turned up in 2013 in Las Vegas, came back in 2014 to Brooklyn and visited Budapest, Hungary in 2016. 2017 is for Yangon!
When:
• From 20th of July to 2nd of August
• Weekdays : 12 pm – 2 pm & 6:30pm – 9pm
• Weekends : 11 am – 2 pm & 4 pm – 8 pm
How:
• Have a seat in the waiting room
• Fill out a questionnaire
• Consult in the office about the body part you want to be photographed
• Step into the studio for a quick photo shoot
Diagnosis :
• Receive a free VIP Badge with your photograph
Pansuriya is at 102 Bogalay Zay Street, between the Secretariat and the river.
From June 20-29 there will be a series of free workshops and lectures at Pansodan Scene, through Artists Beyond Boundaries. All are welcome to join. Check the website for exact schedule. The closing exhibition will be on Thursday 29 June.
Filed under: exhibit, info | Tags: 2017 International Artist Grand Prize Competition, myanmar art, myanmar artist, Pansodan Scene, zwe yan naing
Zwe Yan Naing’s work was chosen from over 4000 entries to win the championship in the 2017 International Artist Grand Prize Competition of Art Revolution Taipei.
We have been impressed by his work for years, and to congratulate him on the international recognition — and exhibition in Taipei in 2018 — Pansodan is throwing a party in his honour. All art lovers are welcome to join in Friday evening, 26 May 2017, at Pansodan Scene, from 5:00-8:00.
There will be new works on show at the celebration.
Filed under: auction, exhibit | Tags: artaid, artaidmyanmar, Aung Htoo, aung ko, Aye Nyein Myint, Han Tin Swe, Hla Htay, Ko Ko Naing, Ma Zaw, Maung Myint Aung, Min Kyaw Swar, min zaw, Pansodan Scene, unaids, Zaw Nyunt Pe, Zwe Mon, zwe yan naing
We would like to invite everyone to the art auction “No One Left Behind”, an event to gather support and raise funds for people living with HIV. The auction will take place from 18:30 to 20:30 at Pansodan Scene.
The auction will feature works from 13 Myanmar artists including Ko Ko Naing, Zwe Yan Naing, Aung Ko, Aung Htoo, Aye Nyein Myint, Ma Zaw, Min Zaw, Han Tin Swe, Hla Htay, Maung Myint Aung, Min Kyaw Swar, Zaw Nyunt Pe and Zwe Mon.
See more details at the facebook invitation page.
Pansodan Scene, ၁၁၄ ပန်းဆိုးတန်း ဒုတိယထပ် (ငါးဘာသာကျောင်းနှင်မျက်နှာချင်းဆိုင်)
144 Pansodan, second floor, across from the gate of the Ganesh Temple.
Filed under: exhibit | Tags: david richards, myanmar, Pansodan Scene, watercolour, Yangon
David Richards Solo Exhibition, 15-23 February 2017 at Pansodan Scene, corner of Maha Bandula and Pansodan, second floor. All are welcome to the opening on 15 February, from 18:00.
David Richards 2016
David Richards has another watercolour exhibition coming up in February, featuring mainly paintings from the new direction he has been exploring in the past half year. He is including more abstraction in his recent paintings, though some are still colourful, some use a very restricted colour palette. Many of them still revolve around his favoured themes: the design of architecture, the beauty of women, the conviviality of cafe scenes, the landscapes of South-east Asia.
He likes to play the fluidity of watercolour off the rigidity of the lines and patterns of buildings, windows, leaves, or graphic elements he inserts. He is afraid that older buildings may be erased from Yangon, and would like to increase appreciation for them, by making portraits of them. When painting the buildings, he does not reproduce their current state, but enters into an imaginative collaboration with the architect and the city, painting them as he would like to see them, in their prime, whether somewhat battered or freshly painted, though not sterilised.
David Richards’ work is clean-lined and carefully composed. Only recently has been been trying to expand his boundaries into directions more experimental for him. This show will feature a mix of his established style and his new explorations.
Pansodan Scene is on the second floor; the entrance to the staircase is just opposite the gate to the temple. There is nothing on the ground floor, a bookshop on the first floor, and the gallery on the second floor. After the opening night, the exhibition will be open from 10:00 – 18:00.
David Richards was interviewed for this article 13 January 2017 by Lilly Seiler
