Weekend Review spoke to Kyaw Thu Tun, co-founder of the gallery, who began to promote Myanmar art internationally from his base in Dubai from the first quarter of 2014.
“Our gallery was originally founded in late 2011 by a passionate art lover friend of mine, Ko Sid. Our gallery is a place where art lovers, collectors and visitors who have a passion for art must visit. Our aim was to promote and introduce a range of arts from Myanmar and its artists to a wider market within and beyond Asia,” says Thu Tun.
“We also seek to create opportunities for the artists by holding art shows locally and internationally in partnership with overseas galleries and collectors. I joined Myanmar Ink officially as a co-founder to promote the gallery internationally by coordinating all overseas art fairs in which Myanmar Ink will participate,” he says.
“We do not consider ourselves in the top ten list of galleries in Myanmar. However, with the passion we have, we are constantly striving to move forward.”
Myanmar Ink Art gallery has several collections, ranging from Modern contemporary, Realism, Impressionism, Expressionism to Abstract in different media to suit the tastes of art lovers. With more than over 36 artists and their more than 1,500 artworks, the gallery is located in Yangon, Myanmar.
In Dubai, Mayanmar Ink Art Gallery functions under the auspices of ART UAE Gallery, looking after operations and promotions in the Middle East (www.myanmarinkartgallery.com).
Tell us about your collection?
Our collection comprises different styles and artists. We have works of famous artists, such as U Khin Maung Yin, U Luyn Gywe, U Kyi Myint Saw and U Win Pe Myint.
We have around 36 in-house emerging artists whose artworks are truly brilliant. One of them is U Nyo Win Pae. He is a well-known artist in Myanmar and his works strongly reflect the traditional life of the Myanmar people, but with a contemporary touch. We have many of his works in our collection and we make it a point to display most of them during the shows we participate or organise in Dubai as well. The other outstanding artist from our gallery is Khin Aung Khant, who uses a unique strokes technique that leaves a lasting impact on the viewers.
How is the reception to Myanmar Art in Dubai? Do you think you can create an interest about Myanmar artists among collectors and galleries in the Middle East?
Dubai has a lot of potential when it comes to art and we can see many galleries in the city, especially in the DIFC and the Al Quoz area, which could be highlighted as the art zone. When we first participated in the Art Fair Dubai last year in November, we received a good response from the visitors. Being based on fine arts with a touch of tradition and culture, the creations by the Myanmar artists are new for the region but we believe they holds the potential of appealing to the great diversity that Dubai represents. Most of the galleries here have great collections of their own, but we believe that Myanmar’s art could be a unique addition to the city’s galleries and collectors.
In order to engage with the Dubai art community, we partnered with ART UAE organisation and have opened a gallery in Al Quoz area, near the Noor Bank Metro station where our works are on display.
Have you attended any art fairs in Dubai, and what is your strategy for the future?
We first participated in the Art Fair Dubai in November 2014, conducted at The Address Hotel Dubai Mall, and later in the ART UAE show in December at the Armani Hotel. We will be exhibiting at different art fairs to reach out to the public to improve the relationship between our art and Dubai residents. We have plans to invite our in-house artists to Dubai so that they could see and learn from the Middle East art trend, as well as share their knowledge and styles with the Middle East art market.
We believe art is for all — whether you are a collector or someone who just likes to have a painting on the wall of your living room or someone who looks art as an investment. Our strategy is to make sure that Myanmar Ink Art Gallery offers art lovers from around the world the opportunity to own an art piece of their choice at a reasonable price, and collectors artworks that guarantee quality and authenticity. All art pieces from our gallery come with authenticated certificate signed by the artist. At the same time, we also want to promote the artists from our country by conducting exhibitions of their creations. We are planning to have an exhibition solely for collectors sometime this year.
What do you think about the emerging art scene in the UAE — especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi?
It is very exciting. I can see that the art community is growing and people are taking more interest in art. The increasing number of galleries in both the cities are an evidence of it. I must say that in terms of opportunities for both the artists and galleries, there is still scope for improvement — in terms of more exhibitions, where more and more artists can showcase their works as well as exchange ideas, knowledge and share the cultures from different countries around the world.
Myanmar Ink Art Gallery is participating in the Global Art Fair being held from March 12-15 in Dubai at the Oberoi Hotel, Business Bay, under the auspices of Artland India.
N.P. Krishna Kumar is a freelance writer based in Dubai.
