Artist Mor Mor receives third prize from River Gallery manager Gill Pattison (centre) and The Myanmar Times' Editor-in-Chief, Ross Dunkley (right). Pic: Aye Zaw Myo

ORGANISERS of the Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards 2008 have hailed the competition a success following the exhibition of finalists at Yangon’s River Gallery on May 30.

At the award ceremony, 28-year-old Khin Zaw Latt took out the top prize for his acrylic on canvas piece titled “Black and White”.

Winner of the 2004 Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards, Zaw Win Pe, was awarded the second prize for “Self Expression”, while Mor Mor’s “Next” was the third prize winner.

Khin Zaw Latt with his prize-winning artwork, "Black and White". For a full interview with the Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards star, see page 26. Pic: Lwin Maung Maung

Gill Pattison, manager of River Gallery, which co-sponsored the awards with The Myanmar Times, said this year’s competition received entries from 483 artists, more than double the number in 2004.

She said the standard of the entries had also improved since the first Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards.

“The quality of the entries, both the technical execution and the artists’ creative vision, was better than last time,” she said. “The reaction from the audience was also very positive to the display of works they saw, which I think reflected this.”

She described Khin Zaw Latt’s winning piece as “striking”.
“There were gasps of surprise when we unveiled the work and this was quite gratifying for us,” she said. “It’s a very strong piece and quite different from his other work.”

“Khin Zaw Latt is one of our most successful young artists. He’s well known for his paintings of the Buddha, he’s specialised in that over the last few years. He puts a contemporary twist on the way he depicts the Buddha image, which is particularly appealing to the European market.”

Ms Pattison said she was moved by his reaction when he received the prize money for winning the Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards.

“When he came into the gallery and I was able to hand over the prize money to him, it was very touching,” she said. “His extended family lives in a village near Laputta and he was just about to take aid down there. He was very happy he could now contribute more money for this because of the prize he had won.”

The exhibition featured works from the 32 finalists and was attended by about 300 guests. All the finalists will now be entered into the Sovereign Art Award, a pan-Asian contemporary art competition featuring the best artists from around the region. The works will be considered for the Sovereign Art Award finals, held in Hong Kong, with the winner receiving US$25,000.

Ms Pattison said while there was no guarantee any of the works would be selected for the finals, she had “high hopes” for Myanmar’s entrants and said it was an opportunity for them to gain wider exposure.

“The winning paintings are all very strong pieces but you never know what a different set of judges will think. What I do know is all our entries can stand proudly beside entries from other Asian countries.”

“When I look at the paintings the [Sovereign Art Award] judges have selected as winners in previous years they’ve chosen artists that are really pushing the envelope in terms of technique and media — they really strike you as contemporary and edgy.

There would be a significant impact, artistically and financially, if any of the works were to make the finals, which will be held in Hong Kong.

“Our community is so small and tightknit — it will be stimulating for the artistic community here,” she said. “For the artists, it would also be great. The finalists’ works will be auctioned in Hong Kong and if previous auctions are anything to go by, the paintings should be sold and for good prices.”

Ms Pattison also thanked the work of the sponsors, singling out The Myanmar Times for their continued support of the local art scene, as well as The Strand hotel and Savoy Hotel.

“The Myanmar Times has been a consistent supporter of Myanmar arts and [Editor-in-Chief] Ross Dunkley, in particular, has always sought to promote local artists,” she said.“We have had fantastic help and support organising the Contemporary Art Awards and having done it once before we knew what to expect. In the scheme of things, given the challenges that people are facing at present, it’s really a very small achievement."

She said that while it might not become an annual event, “it won’t be four years before we run it again”, adding that it was an important way to stimulate and encourage the local industry.

“There’s been steady, observable progress in Myanmar art; there are more good artists, more are making a living from their art and more being shown abroad.”

“Having said that, it’s still a small art scene. We’re not going to have the sort of explosive growth that we’ve seen in China and India,” she said. “It will only grow slowly until there’s a greater flow of ideas and money. When that happens, I have no doubt Myanmar artists will step up to the plate and really make a splash on the world scene.”