Karin Weber Gallery makes its London debut with ‘Against the Tide: Myanmar Art in the Moment’, a show which features work by nine of Myanmar’s leading modern and contemporary artists. Each offers a unique lens on modern life in Myanmar. The artists, spanning a range of generations, all use their work to reflect on their surroundings, standing resilient in the face of many political, economic, and social challenges. Their paintings on canvas and paper alongside digital photography offer viewers alternative considerations for visual depictions of Myanmar. Each artist re-examines who and what can represent Myanmar today. Genesis had the pleasure of producing C-type Prints for artist, Khin Thethtar Latt (Nora)’s, work in the show.
About the Artists
Aung Myint (male, b. 1946), a self-taught artist and Psychology graduate, pioneered contemporary, often experimental art in Myanmar from the mid-1960s. Best known for his paintings, which blend figurative elements with a strong focus on Abstract Expressionism, Aung Myint’s practice also encompasses performance and installation, always capturing moments of personal reflection and social commentary. His Inya Art Gallery, co-founded in 1989, remains family-run and active in Yangon even today. One of the best-known Myanmar artists on the international stage, Aung Myint was one of the first Burmese artists to participate in the ASEAN art awards in 1998 and won the ‘Jurors Choice’ award for some of his signature single stroke ‘Mother & Child’ paintings in 2002. He was also a key participant in the seminal exhibition ‘No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia’ (2013) at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, and the Centre for Contemporary Art, Singapore (2014). Key institutional collections include the Singapore Art Museum, the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, and the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan.
Htein Lin (male, b. 1966) originally studied law before discovering his passion for visual and performance arts. Two imprisonments and a third detention have never discouraged – but rather inspired – his engagement with (often public) self-expression and socio-political criticism through different art forms. Htein Lin is most widely recognised for an extensive series of paintings created during his first prison sentence 1998-2004, using a range of utility objects to paint. and print on white cotton longyi cloth. His works are in key institutional and private collections around the world, most notably the M+Museum, Hong Kong, the International Red Cross Museum, Geneva, Switzerland, Singapore Art Museum; Five Continents Museum, Munich, Germany and the US Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar.
Khin Thethtar Latt (Nora) (female, b. 1990) is a multi-media artist working in painting, performance and photography. Nora studied with the New Zero Art Space collective in Yangon, Myanmar. Her work focuses on issues impacting her generation, including gender and the environment and is held in the collection of the British Museum, London, UK.
Min Zaw (male, b. 1972), a former cartoonist and graduate from the National University of Arts and Culture, Yangon (1998) is best known for his ‘Ordinary People’ series which comments on the loss of identity under the local military regime. New work features collage alongside paintings of ethereal Myanmar landscapes. Min Zaw’s work is in the collections of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan, and the Singapore Art Museum.
Nan Da (male, b. 1981) was born in Yangon and studied at the State School of Fine Arts in Yangon. His paintings, often large-scale, draw from his observations of the teashops that he frequents and his neighbourhood street. Nan Da paints highly detailed portraits or veers into abstraction when he captures the buzz of Yangon’s crowds with a focus on human emotions, faces and forms. His work is in the collection of the British Museum, London.
Richie Nath (male, b. 1995) reinvigorates Myanmar folklore and mythological themes by inserting depictions of queer identities and culture. He graduated in fashion illustration from the London College of Fashion, UK. Nath’s paintings comment on Myanmar society and politics, drawing from his own experiences growing up in Yangon. Currently, he lives in Paris, France.
Sandar Khine (female, b. 1971). Decades of strict state censorship prohibited depiction of the nude human figure. Sandar Khine, working in charcoal and acrylics, is the lone female artist who painted nudes and used live models, often her family members. Her emphasis on line progressed from tightly framed, static compositions to a liberated female figure imbued with movement. Sandar Khine favours figures with an abundance of curves that add strength to her subject and portrays women in an unconventional form.
Soe Yu Nwe (female, b. 1989) holds a MFA degree in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design (2015). She uses drawing and ceramics to explore issues such as gender or her ethnic Chinese heritage in relation to her Myanmar identity. Key exhibitions include the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Australia), 2018 Dhaka Art Summit (Bangladesh), The New Taipei City Yingge Ceramic Museum (Taiwan), Yavuz Gallery (Singapore), ZieherSmith in Chelsea, New York (USA), and The National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta (Indonesia). Recently, Soe Yu Nwe has become an invited member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) as the first member from Myanmar. Her work has been acquired by the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art, both in Brisbane, Australia, and more recently by the British Museum, London.
Thynn Lei Nwe (female, b. 1991) graduated in 2014 from Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore with a diploma in fine arts. She uses painting to create an imaginary world often filled with hybrid creatures. Her work is in the British Museum collection, London.
About the Curator
Melissa Carlson, PhD, is an independent researcher and curator based in London. Her research is focused on the development of Southeast Asian modernism in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. As a Fellow in the 2019-2020 program ‘Modern Art Histories of South and Southeast Asia (MAHASSA)’, funded by the Getty Foundation, she presented on innovative forms of artist collectives and biennales as part of the public programming of the 2020 Dhaka Art Summit in Bangladesh.
About Prospect Burma
Prospect Burma has led efforts to widen access to international higher education for Myanmar’s youth for 35 years. It was established in the wake of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising in Myanmar with the aim of supporting long term, sustainable and democratic education across the country. Prospect Burma is a non-political organisation which places an emphasis on nurturing individuals from diverse, marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds, with particular attention to the needs of people from remote and/or conflict affected areas which have traditionally been denied access to government education services.
A UK registered charity with a US arm, registered as a 501(c)(3), its UK based staff support local team members in Thailand and India, so they can remain as close as possible to trusted partners on the ground and the beneficiaries that they serve. Prospect Burma’s 1,500+ alumni have made significant contributions across a wide range of sectors over the last three decades. These alumni, and those of the future, will lead and enable the positive change that Myanmar needs.
About Karin Weber Gallery
Established in 1999 by German-born Karin Weber and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Karin Weber Gallery is one of Hong Kong’s oldest contemporary art galleries. Situated on Aberdeen Street, in the heart of central Hong Kong, the gallery presents a year-round programme of curated exhibitions, talks, and collector events. The gallery’s unique network of partners based in London and Mumbai allows it to source emerging and established contemporary art from around the world.
Karin Weber Gallery is equally passionate about presenting works by local artists. The gallery assists artists through exhibitions, art fairs, and residency programmes throughout the world. Small in size, yet global in outlook, Karin Weber Gallery is one of Hong Kong’s truly international boutique galleries.
6th February 2024 – 16th February 2024
Coningsby Gallery
30 Tottenham Street
London
W1T 4RJ