YANGON — Yangon, the commercial capital of Myanmar, has hosted various expos from building materials and furniture to automobiles and industrial machinery. But an ongoing expo on the 21st floor of Junction City is the first of its kind—an art expo.
Yangon Art Expo 2017 has gathered the works of 72 artists from the past 60 years. This is a rare opportunity for art lovers to observe how Myanmar’s art movement changed over time.
The exhibition organized by Culture 2 All, an Italy-based cultural promotion organization, showcases the trademark impressionist works of U Lun Gywe, typical Myanmar cultural works by celebrated watercolor artist U Marlar, paintings of Sandar Khaing, who is known for her nude series, installation works by Myat Kyawt, and street art by Ko Ko Maung.
“This expo intends to provide aesthetic delight by creating a vibrant, open and independent urban environment,” said Mauro Salvemini, chairman of Culture 2 All, at the opening ceremony of the expo on Saturday, which was also attended by the Italian ambassador to Myanmar, and Union minister for Religious Affairs and Culture U Aung Ko.
Culture 2 All also curated the works of 10 Myanmar artists in Milan last year.
“People barely collect contemporary art in our country while even our neighbor Thailand has a contemporary art museum. I am pleased with this expo, which comes at a time when we are trying to showcase our contemporary artistic creations to the world. I want the government to collect those paintings and establish a museum,” said artist Ni Po Oo.
The exhibition will be held until Nov. 12. A total of 144 paintings are on display, priced between US$500 and $15,000. The painters receive 70 percent of the proceeds and the remaining 30 percent will be spent on a cultural heritage and villages program, one of the projects of Culture 2 All to be carried out next year.
