Between the opening of Wolfgang Laib’s show at the Secretariat Building in Yangon and the multitude of Myanmar artists featured at Singapore’s Art Stage last week, the start of 2017 has shown to be quite promising to those in Myanmar’s art world.





From January 12 to 15, the 7th annual Art Stage Singapore – an Asian art fair that places a regional focus on Southeast Asian art – convened at in Singapare’s Marina Bay Sands.

In years past only a few Myanmar artists have had the to chance to represent a sliver of the recently opened country’s art scene.

This year, however, Myanmar artists of all backgrounds and mediums participated in the fair.

Four prominent Myanmar artists, Aye Ko, Chaw Ei Thein, Htein Lin, and Emily Phyo exhibited their work, spoke on panels, and even won awards for their steadfast commitment to artistry in a country where restrictions on creativity carry real life consequences.

In addition, 13 Myanmar artists including master painter and pioneering performance artist Aung Myint, painter Nyein Chan Su, and feminist performance artist Zoncy, showed their work at When the Blood Boils, an exhibit dedicated to Myanmar contemporary art at Singapore’s Intersections Gallery.





At the second annual Southeast Asian Forum, a lecture series by Art Stage Singapore devoted to discussing the role of economics in the 21st century art world, Emily Phyo, participated in the regional exhibit on behalf of Yangon’s downtown gallery, Myanm/art.

Her photo series, Being 365, which features portraits of Yangon residents whose eyes hidden behind a measuring tape first showed at Myanm/art in August of 2016. The series later garnered attention from international art magazine, Frieze.

This is the first time Myan/mart, which opened its doors as a gallery and library space in May 2016, has been recognised at an international fair such as Art Stage.

In addition to featuring Phyo’s series, Art Stage Singapore also invited the gallery’s curator and Myanmar’s resident art history, Nathalie Johnston to speak on a panel entitled, “The Free and the Brave: Artist-initiated spaces and platforms”.

“It was a massive celebration of Myanmar as part of the Southeast Asian art scene,” said Johnston.

Another first during the fair was the awarding of the Joseph Balestier award to painter, performance artist and former political prisoner, Aye Ko.

Aye Ko, who founded the New Zero Art Space in 2008, was given the cash prize of US$15,000 (K20 million) on January 10 for promoting “freedom of expression” throughout his artistic career.

After three years of being nominated, this is the first time the veteran artist has won this prestigious Southeast Asian award, granted by US Embassy of Singapore and Art Stage Singapore.

Though she did not win, Myanmar multimedia performance artist Chaw Ei Thein was also a two time contender for the Balestier award.

Even outside of the Art Stage Singapore flurry, Myanmar artists were drawing crowds of visitors.

Well-known in country, the former political prisoner turned painter and mixed media artist, Htein Lin exhibited a solo show in Singapore’s Yavuz Gallery.

Recovering the Past featured some of Htein Lin’s formidable works throughout his career.

His “Monument to my Mother”, a colourful massive quilt-like piece draped the gallery’s walls to create a tunnel to guests.

Other pieces such as his haunting eyeless bamboo sheath masks found new life in Singapore after debuting at his Goethe Villa show, “Picking up the Pieces” in August of last year.

The growing international interest and greater exhibitions and recognitions of Myanmar contemporary art signals positive progress in the role Myanmar plays within the Southeast Asian art world.

Johnston, who has spent over a decade studying and collaborating with Myanmar artists, is optimistic.

“I think it could possibly change something with regard to how collectors view collecting Myanmar artists, and invest in their future as artists,” she said. “Also it shows the support they have from independent galleries and curators.”

Though in country, the future of potential artistic spaces such as the Secretariat and how much artists can create without retaliation remains to be seen.

Still, one month in to 2017 has proved hopeful. “It can only get better from here,” she said.