Monthly Archives: September 2020
Kyaw Yin
Written on September 28, 2020 at 10:23 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? This is an oil painting. I used a palette knife and no brush. It was raining as I worked on it, so I painted round strokes to look like rain drops. Once when I visited Eain Aye Kyaw’s apartment near Kyimyindaing night market, we stayed up the whole night….
Hla Pa
Written on September 24, 2020 at 8:53 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? I created this painting because I miss Myanmar’s vanishing culture. Before modern technology and communications, this would have been the life of mothers and babies. The mother would sing lullabies or tell bedtime stories and mythological tales as she put her baby to sleep. In the stories, there would…
Aung Ko
Written on September 22, 2020 at 12:53 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? At Thingyan 2010, there was a bomb explosion near Kandawgyi Kanpat Road. In my entire life, nothing like that had happened before. As I live on Bagaya Street, Sanchaung, I heard it clearly. During Thingyan, I usually take photos from my home on the sixth floor. I gain a…
Shwe Thein
Written on September 21, 2020 at 9:17 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? This is a view I’ve known since I was young. I started painting boats in 2008. My father’s a trader, and I travelled with him on boats from fourth grade. We’d travel overnight to make it in time for the morning markets. He’d put seasonal products such as umbrellas,…
Ba Khine
Written on September 18, 2020 at 9:33 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? I painted a group of people going to the Ananda Pagoda festival in Bagan. I was born in Anya (Upper Myanmar) and raised in urban areas, so I like the character of Anya. Bagan is there, so I like its spirit. We Bamar travel in groups for pagoda festivals….
Min Wae Aung
Written on September 15, 2020 at 9:16 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you create this painting? This is a painting of monks, which is my usual subject. In it, monks and novices are walking with umbrellas under the sun. The reason why I show their backs is because monks turn their backs on the human realm to achieve nirvana. Most of my shows are about…
Ko Naung
Written on September 11, 2020 at 9:43 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you create this painting? Three of my paintings were displayed at a group show in Lokanat Gallery in 2013. I sent this one to Ko Pyay Way for a fund for flood victims. I did it without brushes, only sponges. I used sponges in place of big brushes. I’ve been making abstract art…
Myint Soe
Written on September 8, 2020 at 11:54 am, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? As war and displacement persist, I continue to paint this subject to this day. Mostly I have more emotion for children. I wonder what happens to their education and well-being. Back then, I thought about the clashes in Kachin and Kayin States. It’s easy for me to travel to…
Kaung Kyaw Khine
Written on September 7, 2020 at 4:10 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? The Rakhine drum is part of my life. My father is a school art teacher with an interest in Rakhine culture. I’ve always felt I was born with art and with the drum. I learned the basics of art and local history from my father. I’ve been playing the…
Hein Thit
Written on September 4, 2020 at 3:42 pm, by Ian Holliday
Why did you choose this painting? I thought back to my childhood when I was working on this painting. In the 1970s, there were photos of actors and actresses holding up two fingers on packets of pickled plums. I couldn’t read anything then, so I didn’t know it was a peace symbol. But I felt…