ARTISTS
Myanm/art
Sep 07 - Sep 29, 2019
Yuki Kitazumi / Journalist living in Yangon
In the bright warm lights of Myanm/art, a gallery which has a pleasant atmosphere and located in the center of Yangon, a work using black inks and charcoal was exhibited on the wall of the gallery, as if the walls was covered with black ink and charcoal, and it stood out prominently in the space. In the work, where on the ground, satellites can be seen falling from the sky with smoke raising from them, the vacant lot of a housing complex is filled with brown cemetery signs. It was a hard-on-the-eye theme, but one visitor to the gallery stood motionless under the spell of the painting.
'Ash World' depicted in ink and charcoal on 12 separate papers. Men are not depicted at the moment of destruction.
Neon art 'The Last Stand Series (Green foot)' looks 'sad' with wires extruding from it.
At this exhibition 'Ashes of Time', there was a large, eye-catching display that took up an entire wall of the gallery called 'Ash World', depicted in charcoal and ink on 12 separate papers. This work was drawn by the artist, Kaung Su, especially for this solo exhibition. In this picture, there are artificial satellites that may be a symbol of civilization, and even though there are houses that are a symbol of society, humans are not depicted. This is explained by the fact that “there is no one who can live here, and no one is dead,” and we do not even know whether humans exist or not. For Kaung Su, it may be civilization that dies, but not individual human beings.
Kaung Su's style is characterized by the eeriness that symbolizes destruction and death. On the other hand, the way of expressing this is varied. He is also known as the first neon light artist in Myanmar, and this time 'The Last Stand Series (Green foot)' was exhibited again. A piece of neon lit tubing, in green and yellow, is likened to a standing tree, and the wiring that leads to the equipment was also shown, which seemed to make the viewer feel somewhat lonely.
Installation 'Decline of Intelligence'.
The theme of bone, 'Erase Footprints'.
The installation 'Decline of Intelligence', exhibited in the center of the gallery, depicted humans in a monkey-like eerie form holding or supporting brick structures and satellites. It shows a contradiction between the development of civilization and the degeneration of mankind, and a message can be felt that it will not last long and new things will be born from the ruins. In addition, the four-sheet set of 'Erase Footprints' is said to express both extinction and innovation through the depiction of bones.
The messages in each piece may be different, but what makes us feel they have something in common is the vitality shown by 'ruin' and 'end.' It can be interpreted that he found beauty and power while drawing despair, and expressed this here.
When Myanmar artists express their negative feelings on canvas, they often assert messages to visible enemies, such as military administrations. Kaung Su, is not limited to that, but is characterized by the way civilization itself should be, and the view of people's lives and death. It could be said that it was an unusual exhibition in Myanmar, which left visitors with a vague kind of feeling, and without an answer.
'Volcanic Anger' depicted in ink and acrylic and drawn on paper.
A message from Kaung Su's black depiction approaches the visitors.
