KOREA FOUNDATION

 

the people of Myanmar are very proud of their culture, and they have a strong sense of dignity that has helped their culture resist being swept away by Western civilization. They continue to pass on their traditions, such as wearing traditional costumes in everyday life, or painting realistic art that incorporates traditional art forms such as line painting, or kaukkyanug into modern art.

By 1988, with the opening of economic borders, a significant change also arrived in the country’s art world. After returning home, two artists, Tin Win and Min Wae Aung who had the opportunity to study in the United States under the auspices of the U.S. Intelligence Service opened galleries, hosted international-level exhibitions, and established the art market in Myanmar. More local galleries started opening, and five years later, the art market grew tenfold. As the art market became quite sizable, artists began to sell their works abroad. Of the five who have grown into international artists, Ba Kyi, a realist whose work is based on traditional art is the most beloved by collectors. Lively exchanges with Korea have also been ngoing. Moreover, following the military coup d’état in February 2021, an exhibition of artists from Myanmar and South Korea was held to support the democratization of Myanmar. In April 2021, eighty artists from various countries, including South Korea, Japan, and Myanmar, participated in the exhibition “Myanmar Spring”, held at Space Sarang Farm in Gimhae. In May of the same year, May Special Exhibition: The Wind of Fire Shaking the Mango Tree Forest was held at the Gwangju Spirit May Hall. The exhibition earned significant praise for its display of thirty paintings by artists from Myanmar, which demonstrated how art can stand in solidarity against oppression and expose the abominations of the military dictatorship.