Burmese Arts Festival Fundraising Auction Now Open For Bids

The inaugural Burmese Arts Festival (14-17 October 2010) will bring together a unique group of Burmese contemporary artists and artists inspired by Burma to London’s Free Word Centre, many for the first time.

The four day festival will encompass a wide range of art forms – theatre, film, painting, photography, visual installations, music, dance and comedy – and will culminate in an open space conference on the roles artists and performers can play in Burma.

In order to raise funds for the festival, we are holding an auction of the works of four Burmese artists – Mu Mu, Tin Tin Sann, Htein Lin and Khin Myint. Please send your bids to burmeseartsfestival@gmail.com

Please note that all funds raised for the festival will be used exclusively on production costs of the festival itself; everybody involved is volunteering their time and there are no administration or venue costs.

This painting (acrylic) is taken from Htein Lin’s series ‘Anyeint’. Anyeint is a traditional form of dance in Burma, which was very popular in British colonial times.

In this image, Htein Lin depicts the traditional anyeint group – a female dancer (centre) and four male comedians, all of whom are wearing traditional dress, including a hat and patchwork longyi. The figure in the top left hand corner is Zarganar, one of Burma’s most famous comedians, with whom Htein Lin performed whilst still living in Burma.

http://www.hteinlin.com/4.html

Please send your bids to burmeseartsfestival@gmail.com

Mu Mu is a well-known artist from Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo), a hill station on the border of Shan state.
 
This painting, done on traditional handmade paper from the Shan State (as most of Mu Mu’s pieces are) depicts a Market Scene – these farmer style markets take place every 5 days.

Please send your bids to burmeseartsfestival@gmail.com

A pioneer of the avant-garde art movement in Burma, Tin Tin Sann studied painting and sculpture in Rangoon and was one of the first Burmese Artists to create and exhibit batik paintings in Burma. She is also one of the founding members of the United Society of Artists – http://www.united-artists.org.uk/

Although her earlier work included a lot of seascapes, reflecting her love of water, her more recent work tends to be rather more abstract. This piece was influenced by the uprising in 2007.

http://www.tintinsann.com/

Please send your bids to burmeseartsfestival@gmail.com

Khin Myint is a Burmese artist based in the UK. She became well-known in her native country with paintings that ran counter to its visual arts traditions; Khin was the first woman to have a nude painting hung in public in Burma, and was also one of the first to experiment with abstract art in what remains to this day a highly traditional environment. Khin’s paintings reveal a unique synthesis of Burmese ethnic art and western abstraction and colour. 

In ‘Meditation’ Khin Myint uses mixed media, including leaves from the Buddha Tree.

http://www.khinmyint.co.uk/

Please send your bids to burmeseartsfestival@gmail.com