| By KYAW ZWA MOE | FEBRUARY, 2004 - VOLUME 12 NO.2 |
Long iron nails pierce Aye Ko’s whole body. There’s no blood, but he suffers greatly. Around him are five television monitors displaying the horrors of the Gulf War, while scattered on the floor are scraps of international news and war imagery torn from various periodicals. Such is Burmese artist Aye Ko’s installation art, titled "I’m the One in the World," whose purpose is to convey the universality of human suffering. His work was featured at the art exhibition at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, titled Identity versus Globalization, which draws together 60 artists from the ten Southeast Asian countries. Sponsored by the Berlin-based Heinrich B๖ll Foundation, the exhibition will appear in Bangkok in May and at Berlin’s Dahlm Museum from October to January. Among the dozens of works by Asian artists included in the exhibition are three paintings by two Burmese artists, Myint Swe and Myint Myint Tin. The pieces are titled "Development is a Lie," "New York" and "The Gap on the Map." Not that this is the first time Burmese have displayed art internationally. Since the early 1990s, galleries and museums around the world have featured the work of such artists as Min Wae Aung, Lun Gywe, Aung Myint, Win Pe Myint, Soe Moe, and, of course, Aye Ko. The most successful Burmese artist on the international market is 44-year-old Min Wae Aung, who has held many successful solo exhibitions in several wealthy countries. At some of these exhibitions, Min Wae Aung’s works sold out, and some have fetched as much as US $20,000. A close friend of the artist reports that two years ago no less than one of the Spice Girls bought a painting. In 1999, foreign collectors bought 19 of 25 paintings displayed at his exhibition "Moving through Landscapes," which appeared at the Motcomb Art Gallery in London. Even the government’s newspaper the New Light of Myanmar said that Min Wae Aung was following in the footsteps of his ancestors, some of whom displayed their works in London during World War II. In the 1920s, Burmese artists were sent to study and practice Western art. Ba Nyan and Ba Zaw, for example, studied painting at London’s Royal College of Art. The trend continued soon after World War II. But not until Min Wae Aung’s exhibition in 1999 would Burmese art again be showcased in England’s capital. The current boom in Burmese art is a result of the 1988 change in Burma’s government, which replaced its socialist policies with market reforms. Soon Burma became less isolated. "However small the change is, it triggers the introduction of Burmese art to the world," says a 40-year-old internationally recognized Burmese artist, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another Burmese artist, Chan Aye, suggests that the year 1993 was a turning point, when he and others exhibited their works in Singapore. Burmese artists have also received recognition from international organizations. Aung Myint was awarded a top prize of US $5,000 in the 2002 Asean Art Awards 2002, held at the Bali International Convention Center in Indonesia. One of Min Wae Aung’s paintings was displayed at Asean Masterworks, which took place in 1997 as part of a summit of regional leaders in Kuala Lumpur. The following year, the Singapore Art Museum added his painting "Golden Monks" to the museum’s permanent Southeast Asia collection. "It is undeniable that this is a new epoch in Burmese art," says the anonymous artist mentioned above. Artists suffered great hardship under the authoritarian government that ruled from 1962 to 1988. During those years, says Chan Aye, artists couldn’t get by. A quality painting might sell for a few hundred kyat or a couple thousand at most (US $1 = 850 kyat, at today’s exchange rate). The domestic art market was small, so most artists survived through commercial work such as posters and signboards. And the government’s red tape hindered artists—and everybody else—from traveling abroad and introducing their works to an international audience. Art critics generally agree that matters have improved, with some artists coming to own grand Rangoon galleries. But critics add that the present government is still suspicious. Official exhibitions must be given official permission, and the Ministry of Culture’s censorship board has the authority to bar unacceptable work. Fortunately, artists are under less scrutiny than writers: asked by the government if their works are political or subversive, it often suffices for the artists to reply that their works are Buddhist in nature. Critics add that most government officials are baffled by art anyway. Today most exhibitions are held without official permission. International demand for Burmese paintings has led to an increase in domestic galleries, especially in Rangoon. Before 1988 there were Lokanat and Peacock, to name two, but since then several dozens have opened, including New Treasure, Inya, Golden Valley and Myanmar Gallery of Contemporary Art. The first art exhibition was held in Burma in 1932. Nowadays, says Chan Aye, the exhibitions appear regularly. Indeed, an exhibition of his work was scheduled to appear on February 15. Held at the Myanmar Gallery of Contemporary Art, it was to feature more than 30 paintings and 50 sculptures, with prices up to US $3,000. Chan Aye’s art is mostly abstract—some say "philosophical." Chan Aye has targeted both international and local collectors, as the Burmese adopt the unfamiliar habit of hanging paintings in their homes. Some locals can afford work as expensive as one million kyat (approximately US $1,200). But one Rangoon gallery owner adds that this is the practice of only the very rich. The owner, who declined to be named, mentioned one case in which a young tycoon and arms broker named Te Za spent five million kyat on paintings in one sitting. The allure of Burmese art, says Chan Aye, is its peculiar ideas and the creative vision of each artist. Buddhism is also key, with most works combining Buddhist philosophy with aspects of daily life. "That is the essence of Burmese art," explains Chan Aye, "and it may be an unusual taste for international collectors." But Burmese artists continue to face limited resources. Most have improved their skills by self-study, despite a scarcity of art books. Until 1993, when the government founded the University of Culture, the country had only two diploma schools of fine arts in Rangoon and Mandalay. But the schools focus on traditional art, which today’s artists disparage. Most artists believe that with freedom and sufficient resources they could develop more quickly. But as with artists everywhere, the daily suffering of those in Burma is often an impetus for creativity. "My work is inspired by the Buddhist philosophical principle ‘all life is suffering’," wrote Aye Ko of his installation, "I’m the One in the World." It deals with his notion that while technology and globalization is bringing people from all over the world closer together, Aye Ko still feels isolated. Yet, his suffering, and that of many Burmese artists like him, is now being noticed—and purchased—by art collectors worldwide.