In Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, for a time artists preferred to engage in subjects that promoted as controversy as possible. Creative minds tried to thrive even with heavy self-censorship in order to adhere to rules set by the government, but it was a struggle and a limit on self-expression. However, as recently as five years ago, censorship laws in the country were relaxed, and the art scene in Myanmar enjoyed something of a blossoming as a result of it.
That’s what is so interesting about an exhibit hosted at a Singapore art gallery for a watercolor artist from Myanmar. Visitors to the show can trace the cultural history of Myanmar through the works, some of which were created under the censorship law, and others that were created after the rules were removed. The artist, Min Zaw, has shown his works in galleries and museums across the globe. The painter is most well known for painting women. Shown in traditional settings, the women gazed from the work and directly into the eyes of viewers. They could have been conveying anything, but it was always up to the viewer to decide, meaning Min Zaw could have used his paintings to make a quiet commentary on Myanmar or the censorship laws themselves.
One of the watercolor paintings that will be on display is an almost whimsical depiction of a platform of a pagoda. Rendered in whites for the building material and grays for the shadows cast by an off-canvas sun, looping lines complete the representation of what must be intricate architecture. In the distance, blotches represent deep green foliage. A pair of red-clad figures in the foreground offer a reflection on more distant towers.
In another minimalistic painting, a pair of women — one in a red skirt, the other in a green skirt, stand beneath the shade of towering hardwood trees. It is up to the viewer to decide what the women are doing, crossing a golden yellow expanse beneath the trees. Are they chatting? Working? Relaxing? Meeting in secret, for some reason? The composition lends itself to an air of mystery.
In another gorgeous painting, a pair of women in skirt stand at the edge of a white wall. A blooming plant spills over the side of the wall, and the women seem to be admiring the pink blossoms. Though this is the focal point of the painting, the sky actually takes up the most room in the composition. Representing either dawn or dusk, yellow-edged gray clouds crawl across a blue sky.
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To read more about the watercolor exhibit, as well as see a preview of the works that will be on display, go to http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/2376079/early-watercolor-works-by-min-zaw-at-art-seasons-singapore.