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60 paintings featuring former main office of Myanmar Railway in Yangon is being exhibited here at the Gallery 65.
It is the debut exhibition illustrated by English painter Kate Bowen in Yangon. It took about 18 months to exhibit these paintings which portray one of the colonial buildings of the city.
ARTIST, KATE BOWEN: “I try to more than just taking a photograph for catching an image try to catch the essence of move of this space because it has a lot of history this building and it is very beautiful colonial building because it is growing original red stones which is quite unique in Yangon and I want to try get something of the spirit of the building within the paintings.”
History In Art: Portraying Colonial Building
MITV NEWS, 14 March 2015
RANGOON — Vivid memories of expansive green fields and quaint villages never faded for Chan Nyein Kyaw, an artist now known simply as CNK. For years he worked as a staffer for the Department of Agriculture, visiting some of Burma’s most picturesque countryside.
When he took up painting later on, CNK found that the images poured naturally out of his mind and onto the canvas. Seventy-one of these personal and nostalgic artworks will be on display in a solo exhibition in Rangoon, opening
Artist ‘CNK’ Depicts Dreamy Memories of Rural Burma
THE IRRAWADDY, 5 March 2015
For art lovers, lifting of restrictions on Myanmar art took a long time coming. But when the military regime abolished the state censor board in 2012, one could say that the liberalisation in arts began in right earnest. There are less restrictions. Earlier, before any show, the gallery and the artists had to take approval from the board — thus effectively curbing the creativity inherent in art.
Myanmar artists, art promoters and galleries now have to deal with a globalised outside world, after decades of relative isolation. There was naturally great curiosity in art circles abroad about this new-found freedom and how it would be used by contemporary artists.
Creativity liberated in Myanmar
GULF NEWS, By N.P. Krishna Kumar, 4 March 2015
On June 10, Khin Maung Yin, one of Myanmar’s most admired and influential artists, died at the age of 76 from throat cancer. The painter was famous for his colorful paintings and portraits, as well as his eccentric character. In a 2010 biography, author Ma Thanegi describes Khin Maung Yin as: “more artist than man. He dismisses luxury or material possessions as superfluous.” Khin Maung Yin is considered to have led Myanmar’s modern art movement, together with artists including Win Pe and Paw Oo Thet and Khin One.
Influential Burmese artist Khin Maung Yin Dies at 76
ArtAsiaPacific, By Kitty van Leeuwen, 20 June 2014
As an honour of 75th birthday for artist Khinmaung Yin who was born in 1938, an art exhibition was organized at Gallery 65, Yaw Min Gyi Street, Yangon, from 8th to 10th November, 2013. The event was arranged by U Thein Win (PMG) who has collected paintings of artist Khinmaung Yin, and the exhibition displayed over 60 pictures. The starting day of 8th November was 75th Birthday of artist Khinmaung Yin, cherished by Gallery owners, artists and collectors of the artist’s works. Here are some excerpts from the visitors:
Khinmaung Yin 75 Art Exhibition
TODAY, 21 April 2014
An art exhibition took place at the Gallery 65, Yaw Minggyi street, Yangon on June 1 up to 15 where paintings by movie director and fine artist U Win Pe and gold embroidery artist U Sein Myint were displayed—a joint-show by the two men after a lapse of 40 years. TODAY presents the following interview with the two artists.
How did you come to a decision to co-exhibit with Saya U Sein Myint?
I’ve been abroad a long time. Saya Sein Myint and I are Mandalayans. We grew up as bosom buddies. About two months after my arrival in Mandalay he told me he wished to display our paintings together. About two months after that I got my paintings finished I’m happy to display them in this exhibition.
A JOINT-EXHIBITION BY TWO ARTISTS
Today, 11 February 2014
Over nearly five decades of censorship, critics of Burma’s successive military governments were left with precious few avenues to voice dissatisfaction with the status quo. U Pe Thein was among the most prominent and influential Burmese cartoonists of the latter half of the 20th century, passing away in 2009 at the age of 85. To mark what would have been his 90th birthday, Rangoon’s Gallery 65 hosted a retrospective of his life’s work from 1- 3 February, his oeuvre having been meticulously catalogued and preserved by his widow, Daw Khin Lay Nwe.
The Art of Resistance
DVB, By ALEX BOOKBINDER, 4 February 2014
More than 100 works, including comic strips, comic books, advertisements, and caricatures will be on display during the three-day free exhibition.
“There are many works here by U Pe Thein. He was an extraordinary cartoonist,” said fellow cartoonist Shwe Min Thar.
“The reason for holding this exhibition is to show his rare original works to the public. His birthday was on January 31 so the exhibition will be held on February 1. The public will be able to see all of his works in one place. There are no plans to sell the cartoon works.”
Exhibition marks 90th birthday of late cartoonist Pe Thein
ELEVEN, 26 January 2014
After nearly 50 years of austere military dictatorship, Myanmar is testing the boundaries of new freedoms and creating space for meaningful self-expression.
The resulting surge of creativity has emboldened an ever-growing number of artists, performers and intellectuals. Though never fully silenced by authoritarianism, they operated for decades below the probing security radar of harsh military rule. Today, by contrast, writers give readings at literary festivals, rappers belt out satirical lyrics, and painters exhibit canvases that previously could be shared only with trusted friends.
Artists wielding bolder creative palette in Myanmar
Nikke Asian Review, 21 November 2013
Generous he may be, and careless of fortune and fame. But Khin Maung Yin got so tired of people taking away his pictures without paying for them that he took up portraiture, hoping nobody would want to put anybody else’s portrait on their wall.
To mark his 75th birthday,, on November 8, Gallery 65 hosted an exhibition November 8-10, featuring 62 of Khin Maung Yin’s portraits, along with paintings by four deceased artists – Paw Oo Thet (1936-1993), Khin Maung (Bank) (1910-1983), Aung Khin (1921-1996) and Khin One (1947-2000).
The simple life: Khin Maung Yin
Thw Myanmar Times, By Zon Pann Pwint, 10 November 2013
GNWP held a commemorative exhibition for newly participation of artists in Myanmer to GNWP. The exhibition was co-hosted by 6 Asian countries of GNWP and Myanmer Artists Organization Central. The gallery was lively with visitors and media representatives throughout the exhibition. The participants enjoyed the party, workshop or sightseeing. It was a very precious time.
Exhibition of Asian GNWP members. (23rd-30th November,2013 Gallery 65 Yangon)
GNWP, 30 October 2013
Fledgling democracy Burma faces new environmental challenge, destruction of its resources by China. Jane Perlez reports on how environmental activist Myint Zaw quietly defends his land.
A white Buddha statue dominates the hall of a monastery in southern Burma where 50 men and a handful of women were gathered to hear Myint Zaw, a passionate environmentalist and crusader against the dangers of big dams, receding forests, and disappearing mangroves. It was the wet season. Squalls of rain pounded the rich red earth outside, and the lush green leaves of banana and mango trees, shiny with water, brushed up against the open windows.
24th Annual Condé Nast Traveler Environmental Awards
CONDE NAST TRAVEL, By Jane Perlez, 22 October 2013
RANGOON — Some 200 people gathered at Gallery 65 on Rangoon’s Yaw Min Street on Saturday to attend the opening of an exhibition on Burma’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
Organized by several well-known artists such Myint Maung Kyaw, Myint Moe Aung, Myint Zaw, Ko Tar and Ju, the exhibition features photography, video clips, paintings, maps and Burmese-language texts that give an overview of the diversity of Burma’s natural world and its cultural traditions.
Exhibition Shows Burma’s ‘Vanishing’ Natural, Cultural Heritage
THE IRRAWADDY, By LAWI WENG, 8 July 2013
Win Pe the artist is back. For many younger than 30 years of age, the reaction to this might be ... huh? … especially from those who have no interest in the arts.
Live and learn, you young people! I’ve known him for years, and Win Pe is one of the three second-line leaders of the modern art movement, which I dare say led to more innovative ideas in the other arts. He also earned acclaim for the great movies he directed and the equally good short stories he wrote, but as far as the art community is concerned, including the writer of this article, nothing matters but his art.
The prodigal son returns
The Myanmar Times, By Ma Thanegi, 1 July 2013
RANGOON — Mounting a mustachioed, armor-plated Aung San Suu Kyi on the back of a white horse isn’t meant to be subversive or satirical, says artist Myat Kyawt.
“She has huge responsibility now, not like when she was a dissident,” says the Mandalay-born painter, standing beside his double-take-inducing rendering of a famous old hagiography of Gen Maha Bandoola, who led the Burmese army against the invading British during the first Anglo-Burmese War.
The Lady: hirsute and on horseback – The Irrawaddy
THE IRRAWADDY, 24 June 2013
Saving Old Rangoon
The Wall Street Journal, By Tony Perrottet , 18 Jane 2013
With the easing of sanctions and censorship laws, Myanmar, long isolated by decades of military rule, is on the verge of rapid economic change and a new openness to outside influences. But what will become of its architectural treasures?
AS WE SIT IN YANGON peak-hour traffic, Thant Myint-U is conjuring a golden age. The eminent Burmese historian, academic and former United Nations official has devoted much of the last two years to saving the city's spectacular architecture. Despite the gridlock as we slowly nudge through its colonial heart, we couldn't be better placed to recall the glories of old Rangoon
(as Yangon was once known). It's difficult to remember today, thanks to nearly five decades of Myanmar's political isolation under brutal military rule, but...
Gallery 65 is presenting The Final Exhibit 2012 from December 15 to January 15.
Sixty paintings are displayed at the exhibition, including modern, contemporary, traditional realism and abstract works created with acrylic, water and oil paints.
“It is just to display our collection and to give some artists whose work will not be shown during the Tun Foundation Bank exhibition this year a chance to showcase their paintings. I heard that there is no sponsor for that event this year and some artists are feeling bad about that. Also, there have been changes to the Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organisation, so they will not have any 2012 year end show,” said U Min Lwin, owner of Gallery 65.
‘The Final Exhibit 2012’ at Gallery 65
The Myanmar Times, By Nyein Ei Ei Htwe, 17 December 2012
In a changing censorship climate, Myanmar’s artists face uncertainty
Not long after Thein Sein was sworn in as president of Myanmar in early 2011, there were signs that censors were loosening their decades-old chokehold on creative expression in the country. Long-suppressed portrait paintings of Aung San Suu Kyi quickly became ubiquitous at art exhibitions throughout Myanmar, and in September 2011 one gallery in Yangon held a group show highlighting the beauty of the Irrawaddy River, for the stated purpose of expressing opposition to government-backed dam-building projects in upper Myanmar.
Exhibiting constraint: Art and Myanmar censorship
Southeast Asia Globe, By Douglas Long, 14 October 2012
SOUTHEAST ASIA’S finest and largest collection of buildings from the colonial era is found in downtown Yangon (Rangoon). Hundreds of palatial structures, elegant teak wood private residences and simple shop-houses over a century old nestle within the city’s central business core, sheltered by decades of political and economic isolation. Today these gems of architectural heritage are struggling to survive amidst the rapid pace of reform currently driving Myanmar (Burma) into a radically new future.
Conserving Old Rangoon
ASIAN ART, By Administrator, 26 September 2012
Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attended “The Sketch of A River” art exhibition in Rangoon on Thursday, highlighting the possible adverse impacts on the environment because of the Myitsone Dam project.
The exhibition at Gallery 65 on Yawmingyi Road includes paintings, photos and cartoons that highlight gold mining, timber harvesting and other activities that can adversely affect the river.
Aung San Suu Kyi is surrounded by viewers and the media at ‘The Sketch of a River’ art exhibition in Rangoon on Thursday, September 22, 2011. Photo Mizzima
Democracy For Burma, 22 September 2011
DASSK Message Written at Today’s Save the Irrawaddy Art Show
RANGOON—Selected works by a famed Burmese cartoonist who was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s feral child character “Mowgli” are now being exhibited in Rangoon some seven years after his death.
Thaw Ka is well remembered for his comic character “Ayine” (the Wild Boy) which is featured among 111 original works at an exhibition titled “Cartoon Thaw Ka Memorial 2012,” a collection of watercolor and ink sketches centered on his comic book masterpiece.
“They are also on sale in order to help the offspring of U Thaw Ka, and at the same time cartoon collectors will have a chance to grab some original works,” said Aw Pi Kyeh, the main organizer of the event as well as one of the many followers of Thaw Ka who have studied comic drawing under the guidance of the late cartoonist.
Ayine Cartoonist Remembered
THE IRRAWADDY, By Phyo Wai Tha, 30 July 2012
Hundreds of Burmese environmentalists and civil society group members gathered in Rangoon over the weekend for a three-day seminar on protecting the Irrawaddy River.
“Our Irrawaddy, Our Future” was organized by JUU Foundation from July 14 to 16 to allow concerned people around the nation to come together and discuss how to safeguard the vital waterway.
“The Irrawaddy River is our Union. If the Irrawaddy River did not exist, there would not be a Bagan era, Tharakhittara, Amarapura or Mandalay either. Protecting the Irrawaddy is protecting the Union,” said Jimmy (aka Kyaw Min Yu), a leader of the 88 Generation Students group who attended the closing ceremony.
Activists Discuss Irrawaddy River in Rangoon
THE IRRAWADDY, By Nyein Nyein , 16 July 2012
‘Watershed’ exhibition concludes in Yangon
ORGANISERS of a three-part art exhibition said last week following the show’s final installment that they believed they had been successful in raising awareness of water-related environmental issues.Art of Watershed, held at Gallery 65 in Dagon township, showed the changes that had occurred to the watershed of the Ayeyarwady River as well as wetland sites, including Inle Lake and Indawgyi Lake, through photographs, paintings and installations. Designer Myint Maung Kyaw, environmental photographer Myint Zaw and writer Juu exhibited about 200 artworks in all.
The Myanmar Times, By Yadana Htun, 04 April 2011
Following the dissolution of the military junta in 2011, Myanmar has witnessed one of the world’s fastest socioeconomic transitions since the transformations that swept eastern Europe in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Changes abound: internet cables and pipelines now connect Myanmar to India, China and Thailand; the World Economic Forum occupied Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw for an entire week in June; President Thein Sein was considered for the Nobel Peace Prize; and the former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi continues to travel the world, building networks for the people of Myanmar.
Myanmar
Art Asia Pacific, BY Nathalie Johnston
Burmese art, largely unaffected by global trends, is truly representative of the country’s landscape and people. Under the military junta, artists carried on quietly, producing bold works of richness and colour, but generally avoiding the political. Now, under a new political system, the contemporary art scene is starting to stretch its wings. Here are ten Rangoon galleries where the city’s creativity is flourishing.
Authentic Burmese Creation: Rangoon’s Best Contemporary Art Galleries